Apart from the few makers who stuck to a very few models and used logical sequential serial numbers ( P&S probably being a good example), there are not much real data as to whether our early lenses were made in scores, hundreds or thousands of examples.
The Dallmeyer archive could provide almost complete production quantities for all models and sizes up to around 1900, but will require quite a project and not all the requested website pages are currently available.
The only existing complete and correct list of actual made lenses are the Zeiss Anastigmats made under Licence by Voigtländer from 1891 to 1900. These are the later Protars (Series II, IIa, III, IIa, IV, V and VII). The fact that the numbers made are recorded must relate to the payment system laid down in the Zeiss/Voigtländer agreement.
I have previously owned one of these Voigtländer Protars and now I have one more on its way in the post - the series IIa size 6, which is 295mm affair. Records show that just 10 of these were made in the middle of the 1890's.
Interesting, but as we all know, rare, by itself, means nothing.
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