sanmich
Veteran
Just a question about the S/N and dates found on CQ.com:
What does the date mean?
I mean, clearly, Leica did not produce 7000 cameras on one specific day, and then paused for a year..
So this date, what is its meaning for the 7000 pieces sitting in front of it in the list??
Thanks!
What does the date mean?
I mean, clearly, Leica did not produce 7000 cameras on one specific day, and then paused for a year..
So this date, what is its meaning for the 7000 pieces sitting in front of it in the list??
Thanks!
bizarrius
the great
obviously that is when the production of that line started.
ehm?
ehm?
bob338
Well-known
i think they assigned batches of serial numbers in blocks for each model.
Leigh Youdale
Well-known
They did, and some of the numbers in any given batch were likely not used. It's not hard to find more info by doing an internet search for "Leica serial numbers".
sanmich
Veteran
So you think all the cameras in the batch were produced AFTER the date mentioned there?
The other option would be some sort of report at a certain date of all the cameras of a certain type that where produced up to this date.
Anybody with inside information?
fawate
Member
I don´t have any kind of inside information regarding Leica´s serial numbers and production dates, but I believe that Andrew Nemeth´s suggestion that the serial numbers are only a “rough guide to the year of manufacture” is a good piece of advice.
A year ago, I bought a Leica M6 TTL with a 0.58 viewfinder. Looking at the camera for the first time, I realised that there was something “quite different” from other M6s. The corners of my camera were significantly sharper and more “straight”. The colour of the black chrome is duller than another TTL that I have. Also, the letter “R” in front of the camera was the same as in the MPs. Later, I read that there were some later Leicas M6 TTL which were supposedly assembled with Brass top plates. However, my serial number does not qualify as one belonging to the last batches (its serial number starts with a 25). The only way to check if it was really brass or not would be to scratch the inside of the top plate and see the bare metal. Naturally, I will not do that to my camera.
I also bought a new black paint MP in January 2006 with the serial number starting with 2939XXX. It took almost 2 months to receive the camera after I had ordered it. The salesperson said that it had to be imported straight from Germany. A camera with this serial number is believed to have been produced in 2002. So, did it take almost 4 years to leave Leica´s warehouse or was it collecting dust in some forgotten shelf.? I don´t know.
The fact is that I have seen some MPs with serial numbers well above 30XXXXX. Considering the amount of film cameras that Leica produces nowadays, I think that they must have attributed the serial numbers in-between to other products as well (which they may have or have not used by now).
Sorry for the long text.
Fabio
A year ago, I bought a Leica M6 TTL with a 0.58 viewfinder. Looking at the camera for the first time, I realised that there was something “quite different” from other M6s. The corners of my camera were significantly sharper and more “straight”. The colour of the black chrome is duller than another TTL that I have. Also, the letter “R” in front of the camera was the same as in the MPs. Later, I read that there were some later Leicas M6 TTL which were supposedly assembled with Brass top plates. However, my serial number does not qualify as one belonging to the last batches (its serial number starts with a 25). The only way to check if it was really brass or not would be to scratch the inside of the top plate and see the bare metal. Naturally, I will not do that to my camera.
I also bought a new black paint MP in January 2006 with the serial number starting with 2939XXX. It took almost 2 months to receive the camera after I had ordered it. The salesperson said that it had to be imported straight from Germany. A camera with this serial number is believed to have been produced in 2002. So, did it take almost 4 years to leave Leica´s warehouse or was it collecting dust in some forgotten shelf.? I don´t know.
The fact is that I have seen some MPs with serial numbers well above 30XXXXX. Considering the amount of film cameras that Leica produces nowadays, I think that they must have attributed the serial numbers in-between to other products as well (which they may have or have not used by now).
Sorry for the long text.
Fabio