Sorry Coteya, That was meant to be humorous, more so than harsh. There is a disclaimer somewhere here that points out that valuations are not given. Really, it's worth what someone will pay for it, hence my little rib about 5 to 500. No offense meant, just being a bit ornery.
You can do a search on eBay for completed transactions, and see what people paid for similar stoves. As for starting it or keeping it virgin, that's a matter of personal preference. If you plan on selling it one day, obviously you'll get more for an unfired stove. My preference is different - I want to know that each and every stove in my collection has been fired at least once by me, and was burning flawlessly. The choice is definitely yours. Either way, it is really a beautiful stove. Yonadav
The only thing you can say about value is that "anything is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it." Antiques Road Show not withstanding -- all they do is estimate how much someone who is specifically looking for that item might be willing to pay while in a room of other people who are specifically looking for the same thing. Of course, the pitfall of trying to use completed sales on eBay is that you may never find one just like it -- especially as far as condition -- so you will always be comparing apples to oranges. My personal approach is the opposite of Yonadav's. If it's a virgin, I would prefer to keep it as a virgin. Mostly because that increases it's value (see above), but for a utilitarian item like a stove, it also makes the item interesting and unique. To me, the most interesting thing about this stove is that it was apparently made during the heyday of Coleman camping stoves, and its design appears to be just close enough to a Coleman to be familiar and functional to a Coleman user, but just different enough to avoid several patent infringements -- or (copyright?) claims of violating Coleman's rights to their design and appearance. It's a lovely item. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Nice stove with unusual burners. I would love to see them on fire but a stove of that age in new condition is worth so much more to a collector that collects new stuff. If I owned it I would never light it but that means I would never own it.
I agree, absolutely. To buy a virgin stove solely for the pleasure of lighting it is pure vandalism - and that's being charitable. One's mileage may vary... Yes, although it depends on what is meant by 'value'. Monetary value, sure - all things being equal, a virgin stove will be worth more than a used one. But it's more than that. I like to think of value more in terms of history. Anything that's managed to remain unused for 50-60 years is likely to be rare and deserves to remain as such. How much easier and quicker would Bryan Miller's research into the history of the Primus 96 have been if he'd had a virgin example of all the different varieties to hand? It just seems to me we have a duty to preserve these things for future generations. Maybe that sounds a bit hifalutin' to some folks but that's how I sees it, anyway...
Not firing it strikes me as a little like buying a pristine Bugatti or Brough Superior and not driving it. A bit sad as that is what it was built for. Sure it is "worth" more unlit but to whom? If not you then you may as well sell it to the highest bidder unless you're trying to build a pension fund free of the robbing banks. (I do know of someone who has an immaculate Ducatti 906 in his living room........) I always was a philistine...
interesting stove - it looks like you must use both burners at the same time? IOW, i don't see a control for the right burner... unless it's the thinga-madoo-hickey metal tab just to the right of the tank?
It is the metal tab on the right. One pulls it out to allow the gas to go to the second burner. The second burner typically doesn't burn as hot as the first, but that's just my experience. I have a Thermos 8423, but it's a bit more beat up (but still quite functional). It's a good stove. Yours is beautiful. I don't know how much it might command on eBay since Thermos isn't quite as popular as some other stoves, but it is a beautiful stove. If you plan to sell it, do not light it -- unless you're prepared to get a lesser price. HJ
