[rollei_list] Re: Lens Serial Nr.


----- Original Message ----- From: "Marc James Small" <msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 5:18 PM
Subject: [rollei_list] Re: Lens Serial Nr.


At 10:41 AM 7/22/05 -0500, Roger M. Wiser wrote:
Marc, the body s/n is 667070. I think this is a 1a of the 1953 era?? The
IIA does not require cocking the shutter. The view lens is a Teronar
Anastigmat ,3.5 75mm , no s/n. 

Roger

This camera is an 854/16 Lps and would have been manufactured between NOV
1951 and MAR 1953. This batch ran from 661,700 to 679,999, so a rough
approximation would be that it dates from roughly from one-third of the way
through this batch, or from about JUL or AUG 1952. But that is a REALLY
rough stab.

The Ia with Tessar cost DM 330 at that time, or US$ 82.50 in 1952 dollars,
or around $590 today. A IIa, by comparison, cost DM 450 or US $112.50 in
1952 dollars, or around $800 today. By comparison, a Rolleiflex 3.5A (MX,
Type 1 in the US) sold for DM500 (US $125) in Germany and $285 in the US;
these would be $890 in Germany or $2,025 in 2005 dollars. A Rolleicord III
cost on par with the Ikoflex Ia.

Marc


msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!

NEW FAX NUMBER:  +540-343-8505

This brings up an issue about serial numbers in general. Many manufacturers, Rollei and evidently Zeiss included, issue serial numbers in blocks. Not all the numbers may be used. With Rollei one has the advantage of knowing the number of each camera produced (thanks to Prochnow) but without that information it can be misleading to calculate the position in the production run, and therefore the date of manufacture, by interpolation of the serial number series.
Of course one also has the problem of knowing how the serial number block was used, i.e., continuously from the first number or were some groups of numbers skipped, etc. One needs real inside information to know this stuff. I think we are lucky to know as much about Rollei, Zeiss, and Schneider serial numbers as we do.
Some time ago I asked about Bausch & Lomb serial numbers. I got an answer from one person with a list of numbers and the key to the two letter code used by B&L beginning in 1940. What I discovered was that the number vs: date list could not be right for my B&L lenses. What I think is the case is that B&L numbered either each class of lens separately i.e., microscope objectives vs: photographic vs: microphoto, etc., or even each type of lens within a class, i.e., Tessar vs: Protar, etc. Without very specific information dating via serial number seems to be virtually impossible.
For those interested the first letter of the letter code is the date, the second is the classification. The dates are not in alphebetical order. For instance I have a B&L Baltar off a gun camera Snr. KF2487. This indicates a photographic lens made in 1951.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

---
Rollei List

- Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

- Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org

- Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org

- Online, searchable archives are available at
http://www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list

Other related posts: