Double Deliveries

[isunshine]

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On Leitz Archives, I've seen some cases where early Leica Is were delivered twice. For example, the description of this Leica IA with serial 4322 on Leitz Auction some years ago shows: 

A very uncommon Leica I Mod. A with a small letter 'a' engraved after the serial number, in fine condition, winding knob, shutter release and base plate upgraded during a repair in 1930, the camera has been delivered to Berlin on 02.09.1927, the camera with the number 4322 also exist and has been delivered to Zürich on 23.08.1927, included is an early ESNEL case and uncommon horizontal maker's box.

https://www.leitz-auction.com/en/Leica-I-Mod.-A-Elmar-double-delivery/AI-37-38729

Does anyone know what caused this kind of double deliveries? 

Edited May 27, 2024 by isunshine

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[alan mcfall]

Not sure about the "dual delivery", an asterisk was a more ususal method of denoting duplicate serial numbers for cameras. The small "a" is said to represent "patent applied for" and it appears on a few (export?)  early cameras. I have 4298a and have observed 4324a, but very few others, whereas the asterisk is more frequently encountered for duplicates, even into the M series of cameras.

Now, after interchangeable lenses were available, Leitz sometimes had "mixed" lots such as 90 Elmars at 136001-232, and these had the "a" suffix, their twins were 105 Elmars without the "a".  See Viewfinder 35-2 for some information. In rare cases both the "*" and the "a" were used on a single lens.   e.g.  136039 and 136055 have both marks. It seems to be a little inconsistent at times. There are also a few other "mixed" lens lots that could be mentioned.  If the factory records show that 4322a had two delivery destinations only 9 days apart, maybe that was the case. Sometimes deliveries were returned to Wetzlar for some reason and then again shipped to another destination, but in that case, i don't think they were marked differently.

[dubois pierre]

Yes indeed, the serial numbers followed by an asterisk indicated to my knowledge a duplicate number. I also had a lens in my collection whose serial number was followed by an asterisk. I even saw a double asterisk one day.

For numbers followed by a small "a" or "Angemeldet" in German or "Patent pending", Leicas bearing this characteristic would concern a few rare specimens intended for the US market.

[alan mcfall]

In Summitar production we see two groupings of asterisk  lenses. The first is a mixed lot at 530001-500 (1939). I have recorded a continous string of 13 asterisk duplicate lenses from 530039 to 530537.  I have lenses 530039* and 530245*.  And of course, the famous Summicron prototypes at 812242* to 812323*, some 11 years later, which were not duplicates but Summicron evaluation lenses before production began at 920001.