O.K So I have acquired this Aida 1250 Express (not marked with "record"), it is dated 1567 which I presume is 1st May 1967? I have read the various discussions on where these were made and there appears to be some different opinions, leaving me none-the-wiser. Regardless of where it was made the quality of manufacture is very good. I do note that this lantern does not have the Aida stag logo stamped on the tank but the burner assembly has "made in Germany" stamped on it where as the tank, pre-heater torch and pump knob have just "Germany" stamped on them. So Portugal or Germany?
According to the date stamp it should be a lantern from German production by Graetz in Altena/Westfalen. >>> edit: Reinhard our expert in decoding date stamps is obviously right...
This AIDA lamp was manufactured in Portugal by Hipolito in 1976. All the features you mentioned, along with the typical Orange controls and the preheating bowl without a riser tube,are clear evidence of the lamp's Portuguese origin.
Thanks for the info Reinhard. You have confirmed my suspicions but the format of the date stamp confused me. I was looking at the box it came in and found a list of parts that someone had ordered for these lanterns dated 1978 so that would definitely align with the 1976 date of manufacture.
