I have inherited A Goerz Dagor 10-3/4" f6.8 lens. It is in barrel with no shutter. It is a little unusual in that the serial number is 000000. The lens says "Goerz optical Co. Inc." so I assume it is the domestic variety. Perhaps a prototype? I believe it was never used. I t has one small nick on the outside of a brass ring that is on the front. I am afraid it is time to sell it. I am going to put it on Ebay and was wondering what would be an appropriate reserve.
Thanks, Bob
Another thinly disguised "for sale" advertisment.
Okay, I just found the quidelines that says classifieds are not allowed. I should have read that page first. This was not, though, an ad or for sale post on this forums. I just need some advice, which seems to be impossible to find in the photography world. I last tried to sell this piece at a show ten years ago. I was high pressured by many people to sell it immediately for "their price". That experince was so unpleasant, I took it off the market. Regardless, one well known collector somehow found my number, practically demanded that I sell it to him for a price he named and then started yelling and swearing when I told him it was no longer for sale because of the bad experience it had become.
Anyway, my apologies to anyone whose sensibilities I offended by this error. I'll look elwhere for advice
Thanks for understanding, Bob. Good luck with your attempt to sell it on E-Bay.
serial number 000000, really? I wonder what that means?
An all-zero serial number sounds strange - even for a prototype or lab sample. Some other type of designation would seem more likely for prototypes intended for testing variations in manufacture or design. A manufacturing error would have been caught, and corrected, at the inspection stage. Thus, I'd be suspicious that this might actually be a Russian copy or something along those lines.
Absolutely not a copy. The person I aquired it from got it from the U.S. plant. It's also been viewed by many pros who know its genuine. One look & it's obvious.
Bob
Hi there,
Concerning your lenses serial number, Ron Wisner fielded a similar question which he posted on the (?now defunct?) Q and A section of his website. He speculated that it represented either a prototype or Goerz lenses reassembled following Schneiders takeover of the company.
-Marty Frank
Bob, don't use a reseve at all. There was a large scale survey several years ago that established without doubt that most often items on eBay with a reserve did poorly. A high opening price did better, and for a person selling only an occasional item and not wishing to take the chance of it going cheap might well be a good strategy. Starting at a relatively low price and no reserve was found to be the most profitable strategy in the long term though.
To find out what it might go for, searching for similar items in completed auctions is as good a guide as any.
A good description and good pictures are very important. I'd list for ten days in both Large Format and Lenses, Large Format with "Bold" title. I think ending on Sunday afternoon is a good idea.
Ernest - Thank you. That is the type of advice I need. I have been really gun-shy about selling camera items because of past experience. If I go into this with a sensible plan, I'll feel a lot better. I think you are correct about going in at a low pice often yields the better results. Like many plans - higher risk often brings more success - you just have to make a choice.
At one time I had considered if it were a signifigant prototype, that I could donate it to a museum or permanant display and use the value as a tax write-off. I've found a couple people who do reasonable and informed appraisals, though they do have to pass muster with the IRS.
Bob
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