The following is a collection of serial numbers for large format lens manufacturers. For the most part, the information has been culled from Wilkinson, Glanfield and Wrights' magisterial Lens Collector's Vade Mecum, a data base available on CD-rom. Other sources of information include web-pages and anonymous information passed down to me through others.
There is a real absence of information on large format lenses. Of the contemporary makers, only
Schneider has made a great effort to provide information, the other lens makers have been less forthcoming. However
Rodenstock serial numbers, the other major European manufacturer, have been posted by
Kerry Thalman. There are a few web-pages, both official and unofficial, for other three manufacturers,
Congo, Nikon,
(Unofficial and
Official) and
Fuji,(also
here). However, serial numbers are, to my knowledge, entirely lacking.
Zeiss no longer makes large format lenses, and consequently has little interest or incentive to provide this information. Goerz, and Ross are long gone, and Voigtl?nder exists only in name. Taylor, Taylor & Hobson is also gone, although its one time subsidiary, Cooke, has recently returned to the fold, and is now making a 4x5 portrait lens. In any case, none of these companies provides any sort of information regarding the lenses they once made. This page is a modest attempt to provide one form of information, serial number-year correspondences.
Caveat: While I would like to make this collection as accurate as possible, I cannot make any claims as to the accuracy of any of the information. If you find something which you find of questionable validity, please do not hesitate to contact me. Or, if you have any information on large format lens serial numbers, for the manufactures list above, or any other, kindly forward them to me, and I will attempt to incorporate them.
Compur
From: Wilkinson, M, and C Glanfield. 2001. A Lens Collector's Vade Mecum, CD-rom Version 3F. Edited by A. N. Wright. Cornwall, UK: David Matthews Associates. Pages 65-66, Chapter 12
214,000
1912
2,700,000
1934
250,000
1914
3,200,000
1935
450,000
1920
3,750,000
1936
500,000
1922
4,250,000
1937
600,000
1925
4,850,000
1938
750,000
1926
5,400,000
1939
850,000
1927
6,000,000
1947
950,000
1928
6,200,000
1948
1,000,000
1929
6,500,000
1949
1,150,000
1930
7,000,000
1950
1,500,000
1931
7,700,000
1951
1,800,000
1932
8,500,000
1952
2,250,000
1933
From:
http://www.sci.fi/~animato/lumiere/lumiere.html450000
1920
500000
1922
600000
1925
750000
1926
850000
1927
950000
1928
1000000
1929
1150000
1930
1500000
1931
1800000
1932
2250000
1933
2700000
1934
3200000
1935
5400000
1939
.
Goerz American Optical Company
From Eddie Bolsetzian (former Goerz Tech.) provided by Michael Buchmeier, on the
Large Format Home Page,
More on classic lenses.
70001-140935 1902-1903
150000-190170 1903-1905
200941-224267 1906-1908
223775-226630 1908-1909
310001-315734 1911-1914
315735-320000 1914-1918
751240-756909 1927-1937
755300 1934
756910-765730 1937-1945
765730-771199 1945-1948
771200-780169 1948-1954
791500 ~1955
.
Ross
From: Wilkinson, M, and C Glanfield. ibid, Pages 87-88, Chapter 11
100
1840
86,000
1918
3,000
1850
95,000
1921
6,500
1860
100,000
1924
12,500
1870
105,000
1925
20,000
1875
110,000
1927
44,430
1880
115,000
1930
47,31x
1885-1890
120,000
1931
50,000
1890-1895
125,000
1933
81,96x
1911
140,000
1939
86,000
1918
200,000
1947
95,000
1921
213,000
1946-7
100,000
1924
250,000
1960
105,000
1925
.
Taylor, Taylor & Hobson
From: Wilkinson, M, and C Glanfield. ibid, Page 71, Chapter 13
100 1895
5,000 1900
19,500 1914
71,000 1918
117,xxx 1926-7
250,000 1939
303,xxx 1944
300,xxx 1947
688,03x 1965
Voigtl?nder
From: Wilkinson, M, and C Glanfield. ibid, Pages 6-9, Chapter 14
see also:
http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/sn.htm05/1840 First Petzval Portrait produced
1796-184?, Marked 'Voigtl?nder & Sohn in Wien'
Serial Number
Year
Serial Number
Year
4033
1852
139,108
1917
5000
1854
142,853
1918
10,000
1862
144,419
1919
27,449
1884
154,426
1920
30,000
1885
160,008
1921
31,000
1886
172,136
1922
32,000
1887
194,086
1923
34,000
1888
216,948
1924
36,000
1889
227,929
1925
38,000 - 39496
1890
248,505
1926
40,000
1891
279,710
1927
41,911
1892
365,562
1928
43,685
1893
537,338
1929
45,431
1894
671,174
1933
46,454
1895
803,220
1934
47,771
1896
1,026,690
1935
49,084
1897
2,000,000
1937
54,168
1898
2,718,530
1942
54,896
1899
2,700,000
1945
65,691
1900
3,000,000
1947
68,193
1901
3,220,000
1951
70,682
1902
3,300,500
1952
72,638
1903
3,461,400
1953
75,479
1904
3,600,000
1954
79,288
1905
3,731,000
1955
83,477
1906
4,001,000
1956
88,057
1907
4,303,000
1957
97,999
1908
4,514,000
1958
101,649
1909
4,802,000
1959
105,778
1910
5,033,000
1960
110,347
1911
5,473,000
1961
113,569
1912
5,900,000
1962
118,634 - 125,975
1913
6,219,000
1963
126,001
1914
6,423,000
1964
132,726
1915
6,664,222
1965
137,682
1916
9,999,999-10,000,150
1971
.
Carl Zeiss
From: Wilkinson, M, and C Glanfield. ibid, Pages 99-101, Chapter 17
Carl Zeiss Jena Serial Numbers
See also:
http://home.sprynet.com/~stspring/Zeiss Ikon.htmlSerial Number
Year
Serial Number
Year
173,418-200,520
1912
903,100-908,150
1928
208,473-249,350
1913
919,794-1,016,885
1929
249,886-252,739
1914
922,488-1,239,697
1930
282,800-284,500
1915
1,239,699-1,365,582
1931
285,200-288,100
1916
1,364,483-1,389,279
1932
289,087-298,157
1917
1,436,671-1,456,003
1933
298,215-322,748
1918
1,500,474-1,590,000
1934
322,799-351,611
1919
1,615,764-1,752,303
1935
375,194-419,823
1920
1,674,882-1,942,806
1936
433,273-438,361
1921
1,930,150-2,219,775
1937
422,899-498,006
1922
2,267,991-2,527,984
1938
561,270-578,297
1923
2,527,999-2,651,211
1939
631,500-578,297
1924
2,652,000-c2,678,000
1940
631,500-648,500
1925
2,678,326-2,790,346
1941
666,790-703,198
1926
2,800,000- ?
1942
722,196-798,251
1927
.
Carl Zeiss Jena, East Germany
3,000,000-3,200,000
1945-1949
3,200,000-3,470,000
1949-1952
3,470,000-4,000,000
1952-1955
4,000,000-5,000,000
1955-1958
5,000,000-6,000,000
1958-1961
6,000,000-6,000,000 1961-1964
7,000,000-8,000,000 1964-1967
8,000,000-9,000,000 1967-1970
9,000,000-10,000,000 1970-1975
Carl Zeiss (Opton), Oberkochen, West Germany.
10,000-500,000 1946-1951
500,000-1,100,000 1951-1953
1,100,000-2,600,000 1953-1959
2,600,000-3,000,000 1959-1961
3,000,000-4,000,000 1961-1965
4,000,000-5,000,000 1965-1969
5,000,000-6,000,000 1969-1971
6,000,000-7.300,000 1971-1975
C.P. Goerz Berlin Serial numbers
in the third edition of Les Chiffres Clés P-H Pont gives this chronology:
up to 5,000 -- up to 1891
30,000 -- 1896
100,000 -- 1900
200,000 -- 1908
300,000 -- 1915
400,000 -- 1920
500,000 -- 1922
600,000 -- 1923
750,000 -- 1926
After the merger with CZJ, Goerz lenses' serial numbers were in the CZJ sequence.
Schneider, Rodenstock and Goerz US Serial Numbers
From these tables you can find out the age of your Schneider, Rodenstock or Goerz US lens.
Schneider
Serial Number
Date
Serial Number
Date
30,000
1919
7,000,000
1961
40,000
1920
8,000,000
1963
50,000
1922
9,000,000
1965
100,000
1925
10,500,000
1967
200,000
1928
11,000,000
1968
300,000
1929
11,500,000
1970
400,000
1931
12,000,000
1972
500,000
1932
12,500,000
1974
600,000
1933
13,000,000
1976
700,000
1934
13,200,000
1977
800,000
1935
13,400,000
1978
1,000,000
1936
13,600,000
1979
1,200,000
1937
13,800,000
1981
1,400,000
1938
14,000,000
1983
1,600,000
1939
14,100,000
1985
1,800,000
1942
14,200,000
1986
2,000,000
1948
14,300,000
1988
2,200,000
1949
14,400,000
1991
2,400,000
1950
14,460,000
1992
2,800,000
1951
14,500,000
1993
3,000,000
1952
14,520,000
1994
4,000,000
1954
14,560,000
1995
5,000,000
1957
14,620,000
1996
6,000,000
1959
14,730,000
2000
Rodenstock
Serial Number
Date
50,000
1910
200,000
1920
400,000
1930
700,000
1935
900,000
1938
950,000
1940
2,000,000
1945
2,500,000
1952
3,000,000
1954
4,000,000
1957
5,000,000
1961
6,000,000
1966
7,000,000
1971
8,000,000
1973
9,000,000
1974
9,500,000
1977
10,000,000
1979
10,500,000
1984
11,000,000
1991
11,150,000
1993
11,231,713
1994
11,294,073
1995
11,358,165
1996
11,407,513
1997
11,468,541
1998
Goerz US
Serial Number
Date
70001-140935
1902-1903
150000-190170
1903-1905
200941-224267
1906-1908
223775-226630
1908-1909
310001-315734
1911-1914
315735-320000
1914-1918
751240-756909
1927-1937
756910-765730
1937-1945
765730-771199
1945-1948
771200-780169
1948-1954
791500
1955
Zeiss Binocular Production Numbers, Military and Civilian.
Source: Produktions und Vertriebsstatistiken aus BACZ 8401, 11809,
17119, 19607, 23209-23270
Records read: (jeweils bis Sept. 30).
Presumably: Each year until Sept. 30
YEAR PRODUCTION CUMULATIVE
1894 205 205
1895 1271 1476
1896 2775 4251
1897 4161 8412
1898 5426 13838
1899 7532 21370
1900 9288 30658
1901 9498 40156
1902 8335 48491
1903 9955 58446
1904 13278 71724
1905 17698 89422
1906 18154 107576
1907 17151 124727
1908 22980 147707
1909 34052 181759
1910 36361 218120
1911 43617 261737
1912 52361 314098
1913 52170 366268
1914 66632 432900
1915 114621 547521
1916 92278 639799
1917 152433 792232
1918 198554 990786
1919 61084 1051870
1920 37978 1089848
1921 39081 1128929
1922 47982 1176911
1923 32331 1209242
1924 27439 1236681
1925 57329 1294010
1926 40461 1334471
1927 46528 1380999
1928 61820 1442819
1929 51160 1493979
1930 49460 1543439
1931 35745 1579184
1932 27823 1607007
1933 21861 1628868
1934 31528 1660396
1935 45045 1705441
1936 45763 1751204
1937 50763 1801967
1938 63309 1865276
1939 70262 1935538
1940 81633 2017171
1941 88248 2105419
1942 62574 2167993
1943 60263 2228256
1944 65514 2293770
1945 54642 2348412
1946 49985 2398397
1947 9719 2408116
1948 2408116
'GB no information; GB 46/47: none completed 47,
first tools in process'
(Following figures are from Eisfeld)
1949 16164 2424280
1950 23680 2447960
1951 38505 2486465
1952 52740 2539205
1953 91050 2630255
1954 77425 2707680
1955 65046 2772726
1956 57976 2830702
1957 71465 2914031
1958 63071 2977102
1959 55999 3033101
1960 57400 3090501
1961 59000 3149501
1962 96500 3246001
1963 68000 3314001
1964 86000 3400001
1965 17500 3417501
1966 57000 3474501
1967 6600 3481101
1968 60600 3541701
1969 98410 3640111
1970 154300 3794411
1971 88151 3882562
1972 93600 3976162
1973 70200 4046362
1974 164960 4211322
1975 128590 4339912
1976 149600 4489512
1977 178000 4667512
1978 153300 4820812
1979 164800 4985612
1980 471320 5456932
1981 204400 5661332
1982 11400 5672732
1983 373300 6046032
1984 22000 6068032
1985 220969 6289001
1986 158041 6447042
1987 190131 6637173
1988 260300 6897473
1989 156000 7053473
1990 187700 7241173
1991 5640 7246633
