Cooke Portrait Lens Serial Numbers

[mhayashi]

My lenses
Series II portrait anastigmat 15” f4.5 knuckler #123527

Series IIE portrait anastigmat 325mm f4.5 knuckler #241747


The cooke lenses found in the current yahoo japan auctions are:
Series IIA portrait anastigmat 10.5” f3.5 #104738 non knuckler

Series II portrait anastigmat 13” f4.5 #90741 non knuckler

[oilfree]

Series IIB portrait anastigmat 12 3/4” f4.5 knuckler #190383

[Hugo Zhang]

A question for those of you in the know: I have just got a 12 1/2" Cooke iia lens with words "PATENT No. 155640" engraved on its barrel. I have never seen the word PATENT on my other Cooke lenses. When I unscrewed the rear element off, there is number written inside the barrel: 38247.

These two numbers are quite far away from each other. Which on is right? Any idea which year the lens was made? It was black lacquered.

[mhayashi]

A question for those of you in the know: I have just got a 12 1/2" Cooke iia lens with words "PATENT No. 155640" engraved on its barrel. I have never seen the word PATENT on my other Cooke lenses. When I unscrewed the rear element off, there is number written inside the barrel: 38247.

These two numbers are quite far away from each other. Which on is right? Any idea which year the lens was made? It was black lacquered.

I’m skeptical if the serial number is the one on the barrel. it sounds too low number….
Maybe another number somewhere else on the barrel??
Patent no. Is simply itself.
Taylor hobson cooke took the patent in UK, 1920.
https://patents.google.com/patent/GB155640A/en
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/pate...pn%3DGB155640A
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/pate...b-9bff73b4a67e


According to the cooke compendium, Series IIa portric f3.5 was made circa 1909 to 1930.

https://www.cookeoptics.com/t/compendium.html

Your sample is engraved with the patent number, so that narrows down the lens was made in between 1920 and 1930. The knuckler handle was added in early 1920’s. If your sample has the knuckler, that means it’s after that.

Your sample lens pictures will help us to date the production year.

[Hugo Zhang]

Here it is:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143928368647

[peter brooks]

Seems very odd to be lacking an engraved serial number... even later TTH lenses like the IIIb and war time Aviars have them...

I wonder, is there any engraving on the 'beauty ring' (does the hood unscrew)?

[mhayashi]

I’d say your lens was made in between 1920 and 1923 based on the patent number publication date and the non-knuckler before 1923 based on the cooke compendium.

There should be the serial number somewhere on the lens….

[peter brooks]

I would expect to see at least the model designation (Series IIA), the focal length, max aperture and serial number engraved somewhere.

I believe TTH also devised and marketed engraving machines, and were (in my limited experience anyway) very thorough.

[Hugo Zhang]

I have just checked my Cooke IIA 10 1/2 inch f/3.5 lens. It has the same PATENT No. 155640 engraved on its barrel, but has its No. 106447 engraved on the ring of the lens shade in the front with COOKE PORTRAIT LENS f/3.5 10 1/2 inch Series II.A. It was made between 1919 and 1925.

This 12 1/2 inch lens does not have any words engraved on the ring of lens shade in the front. All other things are identical with TAYLOR TAYLOR & HOBSON Ltd on the barrel.

In Cooke's IIA 1913 catalogue this lens was listed as a 12 inch lens and in its 1921 catalogue it became a 12 1/2 inch lens. So the series # 38247 penciled inside the lens barrel indicates it was made between 1915 and 1918.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Taylor-H...serial_numbers

https://cookeoptics.com/t/compendium.html

The eBay seller had it listed as a 305mm lens while 12 1/2 inch is closer to 318mm.

[mhayashi]

I have just checked my Cooke IIA 10 1/2 inch f/3.5 lens. It has the same PATENT No. 155640 engraved on its barrel, but has its No. 106447 engraved on the ring of the lens shade in the front with COOKE PORTRAIT LENS f/3.5 10 1/2 inch Series II.A. It was made between 1919 and 1925.

This 12 1/2 inch lens does not have any words engraved on the ring of lens shade in the front. All other things are identical with TAYLOR TAYLOR & HOBSON Ltd on the barrel.

In Cooke's IIA 1913 catalogue this lens was listed as a 12 inch lens and in its 1921 catalogue it became a 12 1/2 inch lens. So the series # 38247 penciled inside the lens barrel indicates it was made between 1915 and 1918.

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Taylor-H...serial_numbers

https://cookeoptics.com/t/compendium.html

The eBay seller had it listed as a 305mm lens while 12 1/2 inch is closer to 318mm.

hmm, it sounds No. 106447 is the serial number. The patent was published in Dec.22, 1920.
Since it’s the end of 1920, my guess is narrowed in that the lens was made in between 1921 and 1923.

I’m not sure what the number 38247 means but it would be an interesting detective work if we can compare it with the same series with close serial number lenses.