So ive been trying to put a date to this and its proven eather impossible or beyond my abilities. I tried to use the hyperlink spreadsheet but I havent had any successes. So if this is possible, would anyone happen to have a guse as to when this was made? I'd be happy with just knowing the decade its from
Howdy, @Gilliam , I would hazard a guess that this stove was made after Optimus bought out Primus. Judging from the markings on the burner "Optimus-Primus", it appears that Optimus was using up the "Primus" marked burners. Here is some info that you might find helpful: Optimus acquired the rights to the Primus brand name for liquid-fueled stoves in 1962. Following this acquisition, Optimus established the Primus Trading Company (PTC) to market and sell Primus-branded products alongside its own. Key Acquisition Details Acquisition Scope: Optimus purchased the rights for liquid-fueled stoves and associated spare parts from AB Bahco, which had previously manufactured Primus stoves. Transition Period: While the brand deal occurred in 1962, the physical transition of manufacturing and existing stock happened in stages between 1962 and 1964. During this time, Optimus often assembled stoves using a mix of original Bahco-made parts and new Optimus parts. Split Branding: After 1962, two different firms used the Primus brand simultaneously: Optimus for liquid-fueled (paraffin/kerosene/white gas) products and Bahco (and later others) for LPG/propane products. End of Brand Use: Optimus dropped the Primus and Svea brand names around 1976, reverting to solely marketing products under the Optimus name. Production Markers Stoves produced during the Primus Trading Company era (1962–1976) can often be identified by specific markings: Burners: Between 1962 and 1969, burners were typically marked "OPTIMUS PRIMUS" to be interchangeable across both brands. Tank Bases: After 1961, Optimus changed how tank bottoms were marked to streamline production between the brands. Date Coding: Primus originally used a six-digit dating system where the last two digits indicated the year of production (e.g., "151064" for 1964); this system was largely abandoned once Optimus took over full production, as Optimus did not typically date-stamp their stoves. So, my guess is that your stove dates from 1962-1969. I hope you find this helpful. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
I think Doc's guess is pretty well spot on. This is arrived at by the comparison of the Made in Sweden tank base stamping alongside the Optimus Primus burner top casting. It also has the same vertical milling around the filler and pressure release as one I have in a plain red tin which would appear to be from that era. The burner top alone would suggest that time frame but, of course, burners do sometimes get replaced and such branding could then be found on an older stove with a later replacement.. Another replaceable item is the flame ring and to be period correct (1963-69) that should be stamped SWEDEN in two places around the flared part.
