Red Dot Artar with strange serial #

[Colin Myers]

I am considering disposing of some Red-Dot Artar lenses and am intrigued by the serial number on my 24"/f11 . This appears to have alloy rather than brass cells and is numbered 0018. If I do decide to sell, I would like as much information as possible about this. When the cells were being re mounted by S.K. Grimes, Adam Dau did mention that he had done one other, with a similar 00 prefix number. Would this have been produced pre the Schneider take over, in parallel with brass celled lenses, or afterwards from surplus parts? Perhaps one of the more knowledgeable forum members could shed some light.

[Daniel Stone]

please excuse my lack of knowledge on lens history, but aren't some artars(of multiple F.L.'s) in Aluminum barrels, rather than brass?

-Dan

[Kirk Fry]

There is a long, tortured history of the death of Goertz. In the end several companies owned the trade name and unsold inventory, and finally Schneider bought the remaining assets ~1962 ish. The last of the Artars were in aluminum barrels, 8,XXX,XXX serial numbers. When Schneider took over they started over on the serial numbers I believe.
Anyway, Artars in aluminum barrels are late model versions. The low serial numbers may have been manufactured by Kern optical (not sure on full name) in Switzerland. Do a little searching on Google.

[Colin Myers]

Kirk,
Thanks for that.
I had thought along similar lines and following your advice, did indeed find a thread on this forum that dealt loosely with the problem, but looking specifically at a Dagor.
My lens has the same numbered cells front and rear 018, and is marked on the inside of the front cell, Apochromat, followed by the red dot, then Artar, 24in.F11 No.018.
Typo error in first post, should have read 018 and not 0018.
Colin

[David Lindquist]

There is a long, tortured history of the death of Goertz. In the end several companies owned the trade name and unsold inventory, and finally Schneider bought the remaining assets ~1962 ish.

Do you possibly mean "1972 ish"? In his history of the Dagor in the January 1972 issue of Popular Photography, Bob Schwalberg noted that the Goerz Optical Company was a subsidiary of the Kollmorgen Corporation. As far as I can tell the Schneider Corporation of America bought Goerz sometime later in 1972 or possibly 1973. I have a letter dated September 18, 1973 from Sidney Falek of Schneider Corporation of America in response to my inquiry about the availability of the 8 1/4 inch Gold Dot Dagor. He said they had "acquired from Goerz a somewhat depleted stock of these lenses during the take over of the business..." He further stated that they were back in production and that initial delivery was expected around January 1974.
David Lindquist