"Fat" Elmar 9 cm 1:4

[nilstor]

I have "Fat" Elmar 9 cm 1:4. It was coated after WW2, and is in almost pristine shape. Almost needless to say that it takes excellent pictures!

However, there is a peculiarity in the serial number, 136101a. The "a" puzzles me a bit, does it have anything to do with the post-war coating, or is there a different reason?

 

[Roger Hicks]

Ah... This is fascinating! I once had a fat-barrel 9cm marked with both an "a" (which normally means "attrape" or "dummy", for display, and an asterisk, normally meaning a re-used serial number. The usual explanation for the "a" is that during the war, dummies were sometimes converted to "real" lenses, but "a*" is as far as I know unique. I'll see if I can find the serial number for mine. EDIT: No luck. Sorry. It appears in a least one book but I can't seem to find it.

Cheers,

R.

 

[nilstor]

According to Leica's list of lens serial numbers, my 9 cm Elmar was made in 1932, apparently as a dummy, according to the "a". Did dummies also get a full serial number?

 

[Roger Hicks]

According to Leica's list of lens serial numbers, my 9 cm Elmar was made in 1932, apparently as a dummy, according to the "a". Did dummies also get a full serial number?

To the best of my knowledge, yes. Indeed, more than a full serial number: +"a".

Now here's a thought. Were fat barrel dummies converted to "real" lenses when the fat barrel was phased out? Especially uncoupled fat barrel, converted to coupled? Was there a glut of fat barrel dummies?

Cheers,

R.