Regular Summar with a difference

[Giuliobigazzi]

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Hello! I’ve come in possession of this strange Summar, in meters, but with a Germany engraving on the base of the lens. Usually it only appears on feet versions, and engraved right next to it. Has anyone seen another like it? I’ve found a fairly close serial in Mtr with no Germany makings. 
thanks!

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[TomB_tx]

No - my Summar is in mtr with no Germany marking.

[luigi bertolotti]

Really it is different from "normality"... and Summars are still so many that is hard to embark into an extensive search to find another 🙄

And several explanations can apply :

1) trivial factory error (customer, in a metric Country, like Italy, didn't care)

2) Was it customary (mandatory ?) to specific Country of origin into some metric Country (South America ? East ?)

3) Maintenance by a 3rd party, who exchanged a worn base and had / ordered a spare with Germany mark.

...

Don't know if significant, but I have looked at some "Germany" Summars, and the letters have a different (denser) spacing (but fonts are apparently the same)

.. and there was also the disputed question of "conversion of the rigid Summars" - according to some sources it was an official factory job... in someway it could enter in discussion... is your lens belonging to the time of rigids ?

Edited June 11 by luigi bertolotti

[Giuliobigazzi]

Not a rigid era lens, it’s a 1937 model. 
You make very valid points, not sure it would be an error, I think the feet versions with Germany might have been cast that way, and this might be engraved afterwards. Like you say, maybe a special request by customer or country. 
if any more surface it would be interesting to see the serials and delivery details to compare. 

[willeica]

On 6/11/2025 at 8:59 AM, luigi bertolotti said:

Really it is different from "normality"... and Summars are still so many that is hard to embark into an extensive search to find another 🙄

And several explanations can apply :

1) trivial factory error (customer, in a metric Country, like Italy, didn't care)

2) Was it customary (mandatory ?) to specific Country of origin into some metric Country (South America ? East ?)

3) Maintenance by a 3rd party, who exchanged a worn base and had / ordered a spare with Germany mark.

...

Don't know if significant, but I have looked at some "Germany" Summars, and the letters have a different (denser) spacing (but fonts are apparently the same)

.. and there was also the disputed question of "conversion of the rigid Summars" - according to some sources it was an official factory job... in someway it could enter in discussion... is your lens belonging to the time of rigids ?

I have about 12 Summars to check, but I have found that a number of them have mixed parts as described by Luigi at 3 above. The base with 'Germany' should be a separate part which probably explains everything.

William