Contax date confusion

[flyte]

Hi everyone, I have a couple of Contax cameras, both in perfect working order, yes, even the Contax 1

I hadn't thought about value till I saw a few on Ebay and got a pleasant surprise. I decided to check the serial numbers in case they ever go up for sale, but they dont seem to match, so I was wondering if someone could help me out.

The Contax 1 serial Number is Z46796 which should date it to 1935 but the lens Number is 1439254 which looks to be 1933.

The Contax 111 Serial Number is F41059 made in 1956 but the lens number is 2521236 which is given as 1938.

Is it possible they were sold like this ? or am I just wrong with my dates ? or have I got mismatched lens/cameras ?

Thanks for any help ......flyte.

 

[nhchen]

I don’t know about how they were sold, but the F prefix on your contax III indicates that it was made in 1938/39 (these were prewar cameras) and not 1956 so at least it’s lens is in the same year. In my non expert opinion two years difference between the lens and the body isn’t that much either, you would have likely had different lens options when buying the camera so if an older but still new lens was available then it would be sold with the newer camera.

Nathan

 

[flyte]

Thank you Nathan, very helpful, I didn't see anything about the F prefix but that explains it. I'd forgotten how nice these cameras were, I wish developing film was more convenient and I would be giving both of them an airing, I sold all my developing gear many years ago and went digital but I still have a load of film cameras, mostly collectables. I did think a while ago about selling the lot and buying a high spec DSLR, now I'm kinda glad I didn't.

 

[Bill Jones]

I don’t know about how they were sold, but the F prefix on your contax III indicates that it was made in 1938/39 (these were prewar cameras) and not 1956 so at least it’s lens is in the same year. In my non expert opinion two years difference between the lens and the body isn’t that much either, you would have likely had different lens options when buying the camera so if an older but still new lens was available then it would be sold with the newer camera.

Nathan

Nathan,

According to Simon Worsley's data base and analysis, the F41059 s/n would be a 1937 camera.

As far as an older lens being sold with a newer camera goes, we have to realize that the dates we put on either cameras or lenses are the warehouse order dates and not the dates of actual manufacture. There are known instances of cameras and/or lenses being built out of serial number sequence.

Additionally these were built about 80 years ago and who knows how many times they were re-sold since then. In the USA in the 60's thru the 80.s when these cameras were commonly available and normally re-built before sale, it was normal for the cameras and lenses to be shown separately and the customer would choose a camera and lens combination that appealed to the buyer. In this way many cameras were separated from their original lenses.

This should not matter to a collector as long as the type of lens matches what the camera would have come with.

Bill

 

[flyte]

Thanks Bill, I knew I'd come to the right place, yea I was way out with my dates. I'm happy enough that the lenses are fine with the bodies, I think I had it all written down at one time but a lot of stuff got lost when we moved house, thanks for putting my mind to rest.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Years ago they used to publish the serial numbers of cameras and lenses that were stolen in the hope of getting them back. And out of curiosity I checked a lot of them and found (no great surprise) that few were from the same year, usually the lenses were a year behind the body in date.

And people do buy just bodies and swop lenses as newer/better ones come along.

Regards, David

 

[flyte]

Thanks for all the help guys, I think part of my confusion was thinking that the Contax 111 didn't come out till much later so I misinterpreted the serial numbers. I have a friend who still develops so I think I'll run a film through both of them and see how they do.

 

[Bill Jones]

One thing we have not mentioned is that the Tessar is in a chrome mount vs a nickel mount and a black name ring. These typically came out with the Contax II in 1936. The lens cell could have been held in stock by Zeiss and mounted in 1936.

Bill