Dating Pre-war Zeiss Cameras

<u><b>Dating Pre-war Zeiss Cameras</u></b>




Many European cameras from the period from World War I to World War II were manufactured in camera-assembly plants in a number of countries. Many of these cameras were equipped with Zeiss lenses, all of which are serial numbered. This chart, covering the years from 1912 up to World War II, provides the basis for rough-dating of a camera to within a year of its production.




                                                   Serial Numbers of Zeiss Lenses
by Year of Manufacture


    Year        Serial  Number


  • 1912       173418 -   200520
  • 1913       208473 -   249350
  • 1914       249886 -   252739
  • 1915       282820 -   xxxxxx
  • 1916       xxxxxx -   xxxxxx
  • 1917       289087 -   298157
  • 1918       298115 -   322748
  • 1919       322799 -   351611
  • 1920       375194 -   419823
  • 1921       433273 -   438361
  • 1922       422899 -   498006
  • 1923       561270 -   578297
  • 1924       631869 -   xxxxxx
  • 1925       652230 -   681743
  • 1926       666790 -   703198
  • 1927       722196 -   798251
  • 1928       903096 -   xxxxxx
  • 1929       919794   - 1016885
  • 1930       922488   - 1239697
  • 1931       1239699 - 1365582
  • 1932       1364483 - 1389279
  • 1933       1436671 - 1456003
  • 1934       1500474 - 1590000
  • 1935       1615764 - 1752303
  • 1936       1674882 - 1942806
  • 1937       1930150 - 2219775
  • 1938       2267991 - 2527984
  • 1939       2527999 - 2651211
  • 1940       xxxxxxx - xxxxxxx
  • 1941       2678326 - 2790346
  • 1942       2799599 - xxxxxxx
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