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Thread: Determining age of Crown Graphic

  1. #1
    Dave Karp
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    2,960

    Determining age of Crown Graphic

    Hi all,

    Does anyone know how to determine the age of a Crown Graphic? Mine is serial number 888126.

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Greenbank, WA
    Posts
    2,605

    Determining age of Crown Graphic

    David: I don't know of a source of information as definitive as the serial number information of some lens manufacturers, as available on the web. If you have an original lens with your camera (as so many of them do) you can often date that and get in the ballpark. I have a Crown which is very close to yours in #, with what I think are original lenses, both with close serial numbers, and it dates to around 1957. Schneider's numbers are approximate, as their web site indicates.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
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    NJ
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    Determining age of Crown Graphic

    Ask your question on the www.graflex.org help board.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    May 2004
    Posts
    12

    Determining age of Crown Graphic

    Here is what you are looking for:

    http://www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/manufacturing-code.html

  5. #5
    Dave Karp
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    2,960

    Determining age of Crown Graphic

    Thanks for the help guys.

    My camera does not have any of the codes shown on the graflex.org site, so based on Kevin's information, it looks like my camera is about the same vintage as me!

    I appreciate the help.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    No. Virginia
    Posts
    364

    Determining age of Crown Graphic

    Crank out the focus rack past the drop front and look at the under side of the H shape. You should find the year stamped there. It's in an ink and coded. It may be well worn. The lens only dates the lens.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    280

    Re: Determining age of Crown Graphic

    For those of you who may still be interested in determining the age of their Crown or Speed Graphic cameras by using the serial numbers, the following list is quite helpful. Some places talk about using the lens serial numbers to date the camera but that obviously assumes that the lens on the camera is the original-a dubious assumption after fifty years. This list lets you date the camera itself.
    Cheers,
    Dave B.

    http://graflex.org/helpboard/viewtop...a86633c7e68953

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    503

    Re: Determining age of Crown Graphic

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave_B View Post
    For those of you who may still be interested in determining the age of their Crown or Speed Graphic cameras by using the serial numbers, the following list is quite helpful. Some places talk about using the lens serial numbers to date the camera but that obviously assumes that the lens on the camera is the original-a dubious assumption after fifty years. This list lets you date the camera itself.
    Cheers,
    Dave B.

    http://graflex.org/helpboard/viewtop...a86633c7e68953
    I want to know this but the link is dead.
    --Mario

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    NJ
    Posts
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    Re: Determining age of Crown Graphic

    There's an unpublished impossible-to-find and incomplete (starts sometime in 1915, long after Follmer & Schwing started making cameras; ends sometime in 1964 with the notation "See New Book") list of serial numbers. Post your serial number and some of the people who deny having a copy may take pity on you and tell you when your camera's serial number was assigned.

    There's a much less complete and correct list on www.southbristolviews.com . Go there, click on The Graflexchange, click on Graflex Graphic Serial Number Info, the click on the "not ...

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Montana
    Posts
    102

    Re: Determining age of Crown Graphic

    Yep...you can get pretty close (close enough) with the list of available serial numbers...

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