1960's-1980's batteries - same in the UK as the USA?

I was wondering, were common battery fitments the same for both countries back then? In the UK we had (just a few I remember).

Rectangular 4.5V cell with two springy brass contacts on top for torches. It was flat a good battery design. You bent the contacts to fit the light.
Rectangular 4.5V cell with two screw down contacts on top for bare wires called 'door bell battery'.
Two large (larger than D size) 1.5V cells linked together with one spting contact on top and one on the front, bridging the cells. It was used in bike lights and was notoriously unreliable. When it was phased out Pifco made a 2D adapter for legacy use.
Round 3V battery - like a C size but about 1.5 times the length. Was two 1.5V cells in series housed in a paper or plastic tube - used in small hand torches.
Small 2V sub-matchbox size battery with contacts either end. Used in small torches - always very hard to find. I remember Zwansis Berg (sp) being one of the brands.

Anyone else remember these old cells? Were they available in the US as well?

Minimoog said:

Rectangular 4.5V cell with two screw down contacts on top for bare wires called 'door bell battery'

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That sounds like a lantern battery, which are 6V, made from 4 F cells, has different boxy shapes:



edit: that's probably the 4.5V, not a lantern battery:

Minimoog said:

Two large (larger than D size) 1.5V cells linked together with one spting contact on top and one on the front, bridging the cells. It was used in bike lights and was notoriously unreliable. When it was phased out Pifco made a 2D adapter for legacy use.

Click to expand...

Maybe a "No. 6" ignition cell? which is also known as a doorbell battery, I think 3V, modern versions are made from D cells.

Minimoog said:

Round 3V battery - like a C size but about 1.5 times the length. Was two 1.5V cells in series housed in a paper or plastic tube - used in small hand torches.

Click to expand...

And that sounds like the either the No. 6 or the 1.5v F cell:



I'm not any cell authority, can barely remember last year, let alone the 1970's.

Good info on wikipedia, might satisfy your curiosity.

A weird battery historian will be along at some point to straighten all this out for us ;-) because CPF rules.

That 3v sub c diameter pack is a 2bf.
Close enough to a 21700 to drop in and run a 3 cell bulb