This little bit of chain was all that was left when I got it. Going by what has been posted in some of the other threads here, would that have been a late 50's early 60's production? I don't know why it's important to know how old these things are but I guess I'm not the only one curious.
I can't see enough details in your photos to help you date the stove. I just got one with the chain, but the Sievert key is missing.
I was hoping the fragment of chain remaining might reveal some information. Almost nothing is marked in any way beyond the generic Svea 123 Made in Sweden that they (vintage) all have. The bit where the spindle fits in is stamped Sweden or made in Sweden, some of the letters are double stamped.
I agree that the chain fragment and lack of markings are a contradiction. The chain fragment is a type of chain called "register chain". (You can still get this from McMaster-Carr and other suppliers, but the #18 (smallest) size I've found is still larger than the chain on Sveas). The Svea I purchased new in 1969 had register chain for the key. Within the next couple of years I had to get a new key and chain. The new one was the more common (now) twisted wire chain. My stove has the "Svea 123" and "Made in Sweden" markings, but is also engraved with fuel type in several languages "BENZOLINE PETROL ESSENCE BENZIN", fuel cap is marked, "Sievert 15060" and "Made in Sweden", burner bell has "Svea" and "Made in Sweden", and the burner plate is marked, "SVEA Made in Sweden" and "9400". I think about all we can reasonably do is assign dates (or relative dates) to the individual components (tank, valve assembly, burner bell, plate, key and chain) and recognize that these stoves were assembled from bins of parts, so that two stoves assembled on the same day might be marked differently. Of course, different parts -- newer or older than the rest of the stove -- could also have been added later to replace lost or damaged parts. So coming up with a manufacturing date for the entire stove is never going to be better than an educated guess. ....Arch
"BENZOLINE PETROL ESSENCE BENZIN" I neglected to mention mine has this also. I assume that is on all of them however.
@Billofthenorth I'm glad you clarified that. I was wondering whether you had some very strange anomaly. Cheers Tony
I believe the valves were stamped "Sweden" on stoves made about 1971 or later. But not too many years later because they soon (1973?) added ribs (or rings) around the top of the vaporizer, below the bell. From what I can see, yours is most like this one: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/svea-123-1971.35062/ - Darrel