Re: Mystery Carl Zeiss Lens - Anyone know what this is?
IŽam sorry to say that this lens is a fake, badly engraved by an hobbyist. You can realise it when you see the doubled numbers of the engravings, Zeiss never did it like this, believe me.
The Zeiss engravings are milled and this is a srcatch marking, this are not milled, it were carved with a diamond or ruby.
The front element is a rear element in real, the design of it is typical for it, the most front rims are chamfered and not plain.
I guess it is a combination of two elements from different lenses.
Maybe the fake it is very old, made in the late 1920th or 30th.
Zeiss lenses were very expensive and had a high reputation and this arouses desires, for the faker to make money and for the buyer to get an unknown rare Zeiss lens.
A lot of fake lenses are in the market, the easiest way is to declare it like a prototype because it makes it impossible to proof that it is a fake even when the buyer has not the knowledge.
When the work is not accurate, like here, it is simple to realise that it canŽt be a Zeiss lens.
The optical quality is designed by coincidence, so donŽt await any special.
I hope that you didŽnt pay so much for it.
I guess the seller has to proof the authenticity and is responsible for what he sells and when it were an official action and he declared it as a Zeiss lens he didŽnt makes a good job and you have the right to give it back.
BTW:
The engraving on the shutter: D.R.G.M. means: "Deutsches Reich Gebrauchs Muster" and said that the shutter design and handling is saved by law.
Take care and stay healthy
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