Very early Voigtlander lens

[Two23]

I have a Voigtlander Petzval, serial 2942. It's engraved "Voigtlander & Sohns, in Wein". Lens seems to date to around 1849. Because "Sohns" is spelled "Sons", and it says "Braunschweig" instead of just "Wein," I suspect this was a "blank" Petzval that at one point was engraved by someone in an English speaking country. Note there are some other differences in the engravings between my lens and the other one, more than you might expect from a small shop and lenses supposedly made just a few years apart. I'll also mention that on the lens you showed the lens hood is knurled at the base to make it easy to uncrew, but the hood on my lens has no such grooves. I also included a photo of another Voigtlander I own, from around 1864. Lens hood isn't knurled on that one either.


Kent in SD

[Steven Tribe]

These 2 look like absolutely genuine engravings to me.

The slightly "loose" engraving for the early Voigtlander looks exactly right and I think the serial number is OK for Wien to be present without Braunschweig. It is possible that the sleeve is correct, but the barrel/lenses come from another (later) Petzval.

In your OP I think you have switched Wien and Braunschweig around and I read it as Sohn -not Son!

[Xipho]

the 2942 has a normal engraving, not fake. It says Sohn... and has the swing over the number, which is not existent in the TO lens...