Hektor f1.9 73mm Serial Number

[Greg Agov]

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I have a Hektor f1.9 73mm with Serial Number 98732. All the serial number listings that I've seen do not include this number.  Any help would be appreciated.

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[alan mcfall]

From the fourth lot  98628 to 98816, 1931.  A very early 73 Hektor, but there were earlier at 97137-97250,  96451-96604and the starting lot at 94140-94150. I have recorded lenses 98715, 739, 745, 755 and others close to yours. Production was not strictly linear with serial number, so yours may not be exactly the 383rd 73 Hektor made, but surly it is an early 1931 lens and uncommon 5 digit serial.

[Greg Agov]

Thank You.  This helps a lot.  How did you obtain your information, where did you find it?

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[alan mcfall]

Over the years, a few researchers have been granted access to the original Leitz records. Deciphering is not a trivial task. Some complications are:

-early lenses were not always serialized, especially if they were rigidly mounted to a camera, and often later separated during an upgrade/conversion

-possibly multiple staff making the entries with varrying handwriting styles

-older German language practices, with personal and now rare abbreviations and short cut notations

-war and other priorities

-differing products may have been inscribed at different points in the production cycle, some serialized parts may have been set aside for much later assembly

-use, accidental or otherwise, of the same serial on multiple items, typically addressed by adding an asterick to one of the items, this seems to happen a lot more for lenses than cameras and serialized accessories

-gaps in serial lists that were subsequently used at a much later time,

-different production facilities, several within Wetzlar and Canada and Portugal

-it is likely the serial numbers were never intended to accurately date items, often the various production changes and features are more useful in understanding an items history

- for ultra rare (valuable) items there is a real but remote chance of faked identification, expert evaluation is reccommended, and the current company (Leitz) will sometimes provide historical data upon request

Often serials may have been assigned "requested" and entered into log books, but for whatever reason never used. There agan may be different dates associated with a serial, allocated date, production date and shipped date. In some cases a shipping order number is available, and the delivery location is noted. Some items may have been produced for an anticipated market and they were subsequently modified for a new market before leaving the factory.

Anyway, for cameras, the Leica Collector Guide by Laney is excellent. A much earlier screw mount list with more detail but some well noted errors is the list by W. Hahne via Leica Historica in 1978. It doesn't seem to be available, but is widely copied and circulated.

For wartime camera production, the Wehrmacht Leica book by Lager is superb, but others may exist too.

For lenses, the publication in 2016 of an" objective fabrication" list by Hartmut Thiele, 126 pages, is the best I know of, but others may exist.

[Greg Agov]

Thank you once again.  I was a serious(?) collector in the 80s, but then completely stopped.  Recently went through my hoard to see what I had.  I bough the lens in question, I think in 1984 and paid about $325.

[luigi bertolotti]

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That's a very good price : 5 digits items are uncommon and the Hektor 7,3 is anyway a not mass made item : just a curios about your item : is it rangefinder coupled ? I think that the very first Hektors were not (it was the time of RF coupling intro… and iirc they listed Hektor 7,3 both as HEKON and HEKON KUP spcifying the RF coupling version) . Anyway, probably Leitz did provide a retrofit service for such a critical to focus lens.

[alan mcfall]

I have recorded a few uncoupled 73 Hektors.

94147, 96523, 96602, 97156, 97185, 97191, but none later than thiat.

97156 Was delivered uncoupled on 12/19/1931 just a few months before the introduction of the Model II coupled camera.  It was returned to Leitz on 3/5/1932 for conversion to coupled mount.

[Greg Agov]

At this time, I can not answer as to coupling to rangefinder cameras.  My son has the lens and I still have my cameras.  If in the future the cameras and lens are together will update.