Originally Posted by
Gene McCluney
Just a note regarding vintage brass lenses. You cannot assume that the lens elements are correct, or even installed in the correct end of the tube (if they are both threaded the same). You have to do research. I'll go out on a limb here and speculate that you could assume that "any" vintage brass lens cut for stops, and with a barrel tube length as in your picture is either a Petsval or Rapid Rectilinear in design. If you know the design of these 2 styles of lenses, then you can determine if the correct lens groups are present, and installed in the correct positions. In the 100+ years since these lenses were made, who knows how many children have unscrewed the front and back groups and screwed them back in, possibly wrong.
There were literally hundreds of "dealers" or "jobbers" that marketed lenses under their own name. There were far fewer actual manufacturers of lenses. AFAIK, all the major optical houses engaged in private labeling of lenses.
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