I bought this Optimus 48 off eBay and it arrived today from Scotland in a Crawford's biscuit tin, wrapped in newspaper dated 1967. The burner and cap are marked Optimus Sweden, and the base, Upply-Vasby. It looks like it still has some of the original varnish on it. I gave it a quick wash, borrowed a fuel cap and pump, and it fired up as shown in the following pics. Its in remarkable condition, no dents, and apart from the varnish it looks like its rarely been used. The pump washer was dry, but I soaked it in hot water for an hour, and after oiling it, is perfectly usable. The filler washer was U S. The last pic is with a 45 which seems to be identical apart from the burner, and the recessed filler. I'm not sure if I want to shine this stove up, I think I prefer it the way it is. Regards Tom
Hi, Both of the above stoves are pre-1962 and the formation of the PTC. The presence of a sunken filler nozzle is another useful dating indicator for these Optimus 45 and 48 stoves. The sunken nozzle feature was introduced in the Optimus No.45 and 48 stoves in 1957/8: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/19299 The Op. 45 shown above has a sunken filler nozzle so was probably made after 1957/8 but before 1962. The Op.48 is perhaps a from few years earlier, say after 1954 but before 1957/8 when the sunken filler nozzle was introduced. Hope this helps. Best Regards, Kerophile.
