secret message on my lens

[MISH]

I am no Nikon RF expert and have never owned one (yet) but I have a rather nice Contax IIA kit that includes a Nikon 35mm f3.5 serial# 425869 and i have a few questions

Is there a data base that will tell me year of manufacture

and I know the 3.5 is not the most wanted Nikon 35 but I have noticed that on the back is stamped "made in occupied Japan"
was this common and does it have any effect on value (I know this sort of thing would make many a Leica owners heart beat faster)🙄

 

[VinceC]

Bob Rotoloni's "Nikon Rangefinder Camera" book says the "Made in Occupied Japan" (MIOJ) versions of your lens were made up to about serial number 426000, when the occupation ended. So yours is among the last MIOJ lenses and made in 1952. Rotoloni has a more authoritative book in the works, which may allow for more precision.

The MIOJ lenses are somewhat more collectible because they represent the early part of Nikon history, when the company was establishing itself. You're right that the lens doesn't have a very strong reputation. But if you like the photos taken by it, then it must be fine.

 

[wes loder]

Nippon Kogaku dropped the use of the MIOJ mark in late spring 1951, although a few lenses made into the summer of 1951 still show that mark as the company used up parts. This lens would have been manufactured in early 1951. The use of the MIOJ mark and the dates of the actual Occupation have little in common. WES