Early Zeiss Serial numbers... Mysteriously nothing before 1912...

[Embdude]

All the Zeiss lens serial number charts I have found seem to start in 1912 with SN 137,418...

However Zeiss began making camera lenses in 1896 (according to Zeiss website) so we are missing over a decade of SN data...

Here is Tessar 70,610 on a very early compound shutter...

246707

The compound shutter began in 1904 and only had this silver design for a few years before going all black.

As I can't know if the lens originated in the shutter how can i best date these pre 1912 lenses?

[mhayashi]

your lens was made in August, 1904.
https://www.lindemanns.de/shop/fotobuchhandlung/64034z-carl-zeiss-jena--hartmut-thiele-fabrikationsbuch-photooptik-i-=-carl-zeiss-jena-1890-bis-1927-.php

[Embdude]

your lens was made in August, 1904.
https://www.lindemanns.de/shop/fotobuchhandlung/64034z-carl-zeiss-jena--hartmut-thiele-fabrikationsbuch-photooptik-i-=-carl-zeiss-jena-1890-bis-1927-.php

Thanks! So the lens is contemporary to the shutter, very nice.

Any insight as to why the accessible Zeiss SN lists only begin in 1912? Was it super convoluted prior to this date?

[Embdude]

Also looking for help dating Zeiss Protarlinse 285mm Nr. 91527

246734

I am assuming the Voigtlander Compur is not contemporary to the lens...

[mhayashi]

The protarlinse was made in 1907.
Why no data before 1912 online?
I don’t know but Thiele says in the book it was the extensive research on the old Zeiss records and production books.
This book I was made after II and III of the series so relatively new to the public I suppose.

[Embdude]

Thanks for the date!

There must not have been anything available from Zeiss before then I suppose. Lots of early records were lost in the wars.

Good to see Thiele is working hard at it!