Some virgins. Optimus 111. Norwegian army. Optimus 111. Swedish army. Svea 154. Norwegian civil defense. Svea 153. Norwegian civil defense. Hipolito No. 1
Wonderful stoves Arne! Unlike Rik, I presume you will not even consider lighting them. In unlit condition they are rare, beautiful and probably irreplaceable.
Take no notice of Rik - - - he lives in Wales - and there is something in the air (or the beer) that means nothing can stay a virgin for long
Good Evening, Arne K?re, As always, the choice to light, or not to light, is yours, as those wonderful virgins belong to you! But, consider that, as they are, few, IF ANY of us have such wonderful specimens in our possession!!!!!! If you choose to fire them up, just remember that, when all is said and done, and those that worship the "Cherry Red" are done with their "Ooohs, and Ahhhhs", you now own just more used stoves, as do they! Should you choose to keep these lovely stoves as they are, ahhhhhh, then you will, indeed, have something very special, very rare, and very lovely. And, as long as these stove remain unlit, you can have the very same thrill of looking at them, 20 years from now, just as you do today. Fire them up, and they're just another "also ran" stove!!! There are plenty of stoves that have been lit, and those can satisfy the need for "Cherry Red". Also, please remember that, most of the guys that are egging you on to light them, will be done with their admiration, after the "Cherry Red" dies away. Those of us who love stoves in essence, as well as form and function, will continue to admire your treasures for as long as you have them!!! No Sunshine Patriots, we!!! Have fun with those lovely stoves, Arne K?re, and whatever you decide to do, thanks, VERY MUCH, for sharing the virgins with all of us!!!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
To Whom It May Concern I think it would be a shame and almost a crime to light any one of these new pristine stoves. Once they are used, they are of course vintage, collectable and USED. In unused condition they are almost objects of art, not USED equipment. Just my opinion, Ken H.
AKtop.. Let them be virgins. Special the 111. There are plenty of used ones. I myself has these virgins: 123R, Coleman Centenial, 111 Norwegian Army and a Optimus 350CP. I will NOT ever light them
You have some interesting friends Trevor. 8) I would be conflicted in deciding to light or not since I do not own a 111. Practically everything I own has a function besides admiring, but that doesn't mean I do not take care of what I own: Quite contrary! If I had an unused 111, chances are I would already have a used 111; hence no reason to light the unused one. Probably why I do not chase after unused stoves, but rather ones I would gladly light up and not cry over a flare up... Now if you want an opinion on personal life... I am very resolved, decided and old fashioned but everyone here knows what happens when I speak my mind.
Hey, NC, "Hear no evil - See no evil - Speak no evil".... But, it's OK to speak TO Evil, as long as he's around!!!! Take care, and keep the faith, Bro! God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Those Scandinavian Virgins get MY flame going, any day. Keep 'em as they are, just make sure to have a 'user' copy of each, to avoid any temptation to light them. Lovely stoves. Thanks for the photos Spudz
Hi everybody! Why does every thread containing a photo of a virgin end up in a discussion about to light or not to light? I don't think I am a fanatic in either of these directions, but to be honest, I have no intention of lighting any of the stoves shown above. Do I deserve a kiss Trevor? The intention when I bought the two 111's was to maintain them unlit. As Rune writes, in Norway it is not difficult to find good used 111's without having to pay large money. As this photo showes, I have enough used and abused 111's to fire up when I get the urge. The two virgins shall stay unlit for many years. This said, I must confess that I have allso lit a few virgins the last years: For some years I had been looking for an Optimus 10 Ranger. A cracking little stove. I wanted one to use, not to look at. When I eventually found one, unused, at redused price, in a shop that was going to shut down, I bought it and lit it the very same evening. I have never looked back. Three years ago I found two unused Svea's, a 154 and a 155. The 154 is still a virgin, photo above. The 155 I use when making waffles. I good stove making good waffles. When I found the Svea 153 shown in the first post, it had a twin sister that I allso brought with me home. I gave the second one to the scout troop where I am a leader. The rightmost stove on this photo: As you can see, what I do with an unlit stove depends on why I bought it. If the intention was to use it, then I use it. If I bought it to look at, well then I look
I only say 3 words: Absolutley fantastic pictures!!! That waffle'd be fine in my mouth right now, i'm starving! Thank's for showing us the pictures Arne!! Great, great!!
