Question * Last Crown Graphic Serial Numbers

[smithdoor]

Question
What was the last Last known Crown Graphic Serial Numbers
Please post

Dave

[photobymike]

As i said yesterday mine is 990000... for a Crown with a 135 Optar .... you just might have the oldest or last made in America .... from what i have read there is a question about this very issue. I think Toyo may have buggered this a little.. because they made some Super Graphics that say Toyo on them....

[Dan Fromm]

The highest s/n for a Crown in the mythical Shutterfinger list is 990367. Someone saw this s/n on a camera and asked about it on graflex.org. Remember that the Shutterfinger list is a compilation of answers to dating questions posted there.

According to the non-book the highest number set aside for 4x5 Crowns was 999999; there's no guarantee it was ever used. The non-book breaks off with serial numbers assigned 8/17/64, the last s/n it says was actually assigned to a production run is 978408.

Mike, Super Graphics aren't Crowns. Toyo bought the Super Graphic tooling, didn't make any wooden Graphics.

[smithdoor]

I am trying to find a number bigger than 991201 see photos


Dave

The highest s/n for a Crown in the mythical Shutterfinger list is 990367. Someone saw this s/n on a camera and asked about it on graflex.org. Remember that the Shutterfinger list is a compilation of answers to dating questions posted there.

According to the non-book the highest number set aside for 4x5 Crowns was 999999; there's no guarantee it was ever used. The non-book breaks off with serial numbers assigned 8/17/64, the last s/n it says was actually assigned to a production run is 978408.

Mike, Super Graphics aren't Crowns. Toyo bought the Super Graphic tooling, didn't make any wooden Graphics.

[photobymike]

Yea i know ... but it confused the serial system .... i have owned at least 14 supers and crowns and 2 speeds ... they did make some supers and far as i can tell did not change the serials . well one thing i do know for sure is 990000 Crown not a Super is mine.. i read the same article ...

[smithdoor]

Where do I find the article google search did find any thing

Dave

Yea i know ... but it confused the serial system .... i have owned at least 14 supers and crowns and 2 speeds ... they did make some supers and far as i can tell did not change the serials . well one thing i do know for sure is 990000 Crown not a Super is mine.. i read the same article ...

[photobymike]

http://graflex.coffsbiz.com/serials.html

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

http://www.southbristolviews.com/gra....php?f=5&t=590

http://www.southbristolviews.com/gra....php?f=5&t=901

as you can see there was some confusion on the serial numbers ..also if you look at their official list your serial number is not listed.... thats why i said "confusion"

i have a PDF from graflex.org also if you want to send me an email at photobymike@gmail.com

i can attach to the return email

[smithdoor]

Thank you for links
It looks like the books have the same data including the last ones
[ 989641 – crown – may 1972
990198 – crown – 1973? or 1974? presumably a mistake?
990367 – crown (H2B) -- 1972]
They stop before mind

Dave

http://graflex.coffsbiz.com/serials.html

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

http://www.southbristolviews.com/gra....php?f=5&t=590

http://www.southbristolviews.com/gra....php?f=5&t=901

as you can see there was some confusion on the serial numbers ..also if you look at their official list your serial number is not listed.... thats why i said "confusion"

i have a PDF from graflex.org also if you want to send me an email at photobymike@gmail.com

i can attach to the return email

[gleaf]

If I read a past thread right the blocks of 1000 numbers were ammssigned and no particular record kept on production dates. My Crown is 886043 with side mount Kalart and Graphlex (Wollensak) f 4.7 135mm s/n 668806. This one should be 1953-1954 production 4 x 5 Crown. All that seems to track with the available data.
Puzzle here is a reference to a number under the front rail crossbar in an old thread. My crossbar is bare without any sign of marking.

[Dan Fromm]

Serial numbers were assigned in groups with sizes ranging from 1 to at least 130,000. For example, in 1948 Graflex reformed the way in which serial numbers were assigned to Pacemaker Graphics and set aside the range 950,000 - 999,999 for 4x5 Crown Graphics. At the same time they set aside 820,000 - 949,999 for 4x5 Pacemaker Speed Graphics. Just one? For example, 8x10 Century (?) View 461,390, assigned 1/30/48.

The block of serial numbers 865,724 - 870,724, in which your Crown falls, was assigned 5/17/51 and the next block, starting 870,725, was assigned 8/22/51. Somewhere after 1948 -- when isn't clear -- Graflex started assigning serial numbers to Pacemaker Graphics without regard to type (Crown, Speed). If you say your camera is a 4x5 Crown, I believe you, but you got the date wrong. 1951, probably between May and August.

There were no rules in Rochester and no one followed them.

About date stamps on the bed rails. That your camera doesn't have one is normal and correct. Graflex began stamping date codes on bed rails in 1960.

About Wollensak serial numbers. The relationship between Wolly lenses' s/n and date of manufacture has been discussed to death here and elsewhere. Short answer, so far no knows anything about whether there even is one, let alone what it is. One such list (s/n to date) has been published for B&L lenses. Short answer (impolite), garbage.