Hi,

I have a question about Leica serial numbers. For the lenses are the purely sequential? In other words regardless of the type of lens, if one lens is made after another one even if it is different one, then will it be the next number?

How can I find out how old a lens is by the serial number? Is there a place on the web?

Please help!

Thanks very much.

-- Mike Foster (mike567@acgecorp.com), May 04, 2001

Answers

I haven't found a place that has every serial number listed for every lens with the year of manufacture noted, and am not sure there is such a list. (they do have this info for the camera bodies) What lens do you have and what is the serial number? We may be able to place it within a few years with that info.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), May 04, 2001.

If the Hove Leica Pocket Book is to be believed, then the serial numbers of lenses are sequential and unrelated to the particular type of lens. I don't know how they did that considering all the different places on different lenses the serial numbers are engraved, and all the different sized retaining rings, and at one time lenses were produced simultaneously in Canada, Germany and Japan. But from what I've seen of lenses in both R and M, it's true. The Leica Pocket Book 6th edition lists ranges of serial numbers and years of production for both the bodies and lenses, up to 1988. Perhaps there's a newer addition that goes farther.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 04, 2001.

Lens serial number source: Identifying Leica Lenses, Ghester Sartorius, 1999, ISBN 0-8174-4027-5

156 001 - 195 000 1933

195 001 - 236 000 1934

236 001 - 284 600 1935

284 601 - 345 000 1936

345 001 - 416 500 1937

416 501 - 490 000 1938

490 001 - 538 500 1939

538 501 - 565 000 1940

565 001 - 582 294 1941

582 295 - 593 000 1942

593 001 - 594 880 1943

594 881 - 595 000 1944

595 001 - 601 000 1945

601 001 - 633 000 1946

633 001 - 647 000 1947

647 001 - 682 000 1948

682 001 - 756 000 1949

756 001 - 840 000 1950

840 001 - 950 000 1951

950 001 - 1 051 000 1952

1 051 000 - 1 124 000 1953

1 124 001 - 1 236 000 1954

1 236 001 - 1 333 000 1955

1 333 001 - 1 459 000 1956

1 459 001 - 1 548 000 1957

1 548 001 - 1 645 300 1958

1 645 301 - 1 717 000 1959

1 717 001 - 1 827 000 1960

1 827 001 - 1 913 000 1961

1 913 001 - 1 967 100 1962

1 967 101 - 2 015 700 1963

2 015 701 - 2 077 500 1964

2 077 501 - 2 156 300 1965

2 156 301 - 2 236 500 1966

2 236 501 - 2 254 400 1967

2 254 401 - 2 312 750 1968

2 312 751 - 2 384 700 1969

2 384 701 - 2 468 500 1970

2 468 501 - 2 503 100 1971

2 503 101 - 2 556 500 1972

2 556 501 - 2 663 400 1973

2 663 401 - 2 731 900 1974

2 731 901 - 2 761 100 1975

2 761 101 - 2 809 400 1976

2 809 401 - 2 880 600 1977

2 880 601 - 2 967 250 1978

2 967 251 - 3 013 650 1979

3 013 651 - 3 087 000 - 1980

3 087 001 - 3 160 500 1981

3 160 501 - 3 249 100 1982

3 249 101 - 3 294 900 1983

3 294 901 - 3 346 200 1984

3 346 201 - 3 383 200 1985

3 383 201 - 3 422 890 1986

3 422 891 - 3 455 870 1987

3 455 871 - 3 478 900 1988

3 478 901 - 3 503 150 1989

3 503 151 - 3 540 467 1990

3 540 468 - 3 583 830 1991

3 585 831 - 3 610 680 1992

3 610 381 - 3 644 475 1993

3 644 476 - 3 677 030 1994

3 677 031 - 3 730 290 1995

3 730 291 -

Cheers

-- John Collier (jbcollier@home.com), May 04, 2001.

Bravo John!

Thanks!

-- Mike Foster (mike567@acgecorp.com), May 04, 2001.

Very cool chart to have--and I have never seen this info anywhere before, including Gandy's and Erwin Puts site.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), May 04, 2001.

Another rough guide can be obtained by referring to Leica brochures. The cameras are always shown with the latest lens version and a front view will show the serial number. All Leica brochures are dated on the back cover with a 4 digit code such as IV/92, ie April 1992.

This is what I have used but John Collier's list of course is the answer.

-- wayne murphy (wayne.murphy@publicworks.qld.gov.au), May 07, 2001.