Xenon first delivery

[Giuliobigazzi]

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Here is Xenon number 288015, not only the 15th Xenon, but the first ever shipped. Alongside 288010 they were delivered three months earlier than 288002 and nine months before 288001. 
The recepient of this lens was Alfred Boch, vp and general manager of Leitz New York. 
There are many traits that it shares with the museum prototype: missing all Taylor Hobson patent engravings, missing DRPa, chrome on the inner filter ring instead of black, scale in meters, and no infrared R on Dof scale.
It looks like this and the prototype came from the same press. 

Does anyone else have a really Xenon that has these characteristics?

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Edited May 10, 2024 by Giuliobigazzi
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[PG Black nickel]

Hello Giulio,
A few photos for comparison...
I think that mine in the first issues, #288224, is already in its definitive commercial configuration. On the other hand, it's quite surprising that yours is in metre, especially if it was sent to the USA and all the first Xenons were in feet?

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[Giuliobigazzi]

Hi thanks for the photos. Interesting to compare!The lens and 288010 weren’t actually sent to New York, 288010 was sent to Berlin and 288015 was sent to Alfred Boch (reise) (meaning travel or trip) 

Boch frequently travelled between wetzlar and New York and this would have been a commercial test pre production piece he took with him to showcase. 288010 would have been shown in Germany. 

 

 

[Giuliobigazzi]

I should add that 288010 was delivered as a leihw loan lens