13.5cm Hektor serial numbers

[PMCK]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I have a 13.5cm (black) Hektor with a serial number on the lens cell of 576145, indicating 1941 as the year of manufacture.  Inside the body the number 546145 has been scratched. I seem to recall that  this was done on the final assembly so, do I have a composite lens from 1940 and 1941, or were the numbers not required to be identical?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[UliWer]

The number handscratched inside the shaft should be the same as the serial number engraved on the outside. Though it seems as if the numbers of your item only differ between „7“ and „4“ on the second position. A scratched 7 may look like a 4 sometimes and vice versa so I am rather sure that the numbers of your lens are identical. While 576145 belongs to a batch of 200 Hectors from 1941 546145 belongs to a large batch of 8000 5cm Elmars from 1940.

 

[alan mcfall]

From the same lot as yours, I have 575527. The interior scratched number is a match, but more interestingly, this lens has the Heer stamp.  I have recorded 5 Heer 135 Hektors between 530xxx and 575xxx. I have not seen a Heer 135 lens outside this range, so may be the army only placed one order in 1941. 

530807 has only the 807 as the interior scratch number.

539481 has the whole number as the interior scratch in red ink

539846 has the whole number as the interior scratch

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[PMCK]

Most helpful  - something I can add to the narrative when I  (regretfully) sell the lens through finding it a little too heavy, which is not surprising since I also was born in 1941!