[LargeFormat] Kodak serial numbers

[Michael Briggs]

On 14-Oct-2002 Les Newcomer wrote:

> I'm the new owner of two odd ball tele type Graphic lenses.  Both are 
> Kodak Anastigmats but made in '45, so I'm assuming these are not coated.

Kodak was coating military lenses from the begining of WWII, so it is possible
for them to be coated, but if they are not marked with the circle-L, they
probably aren't coated.  If they are coated, the reflections of bright lights
should have some hue.  Also, you can compare the brightness of the reflection
of a bright light from  the surface of the lens with the reflection from other
optical surfaces, uncoated and coated.  Using a comparison, you should be able
to tell which is
which.

 
> The questions lie in the realm of "what do the serial numbers really mean?
> "  The serial numbers for both lenses are ER 000.   Did Kodak reset the 
> serial numbers every year? I've seen some pretty low numbers in the 50s 
> which suggest they did.  Other times I see 4 digit lenses and think well 
> maybe they didn't.

AFAIK, they reset the numbers every year.  4 digits means that they made more
than 1000 of that type of lens in one year -- this seems reasonable -- mass
production marketed to a very large country.

> 
> Does anybody know if they started with 000 or if they used that as a "pre 
> production" serial and began with 001?

I don't know the answer.  Various ebay sellers have stated that 000 is used for
pre-production lenses.  However, there seem to be a surprising number of them
out there.   Maybe they made a fair number of pre-production lenses for various
testing purposes.

> Does anybody have any data as to when Kodak introduced new lenses?

Lenses designs were either renamed or changed/introduced a few years before
WWII and again after the war.

--Michael