Lens Dating and Identification.

..................................If the serial number of the lens falls between about 13000 and 35587, the task is easy and the lens is likely to be found in the Photographic Lens Books as the lenses are listed in these volumes by serial number.

..................................If the serial number falls outside of the above range then you will need to search the Lens Books and Stock Books. Neither of these two sets of records form a complete series between 1863 and 1900, however between these two sets there are sufficient surviving volumes to cover this period completely.

..................................In these volumes the lenses are listed by type, so to find the right record you have to first identify the lens type you are researching.

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Stock Book Volume 1. Serial numbers ..4500-11000. 1863-1865
Stock Book Volume 2. Serial numbers 11000-23000. 1866-1874
Stock Book Volume 3. Serial numbers 11000-19000. 1866-1871
Stock Book Volume 4. Serial numbers 19000-23000. 1872-1874
Lens Book Volume 1. Serial numbers.....5000-7000. 1863-1864
Lens Book Volume 2. Serial numbers 22000-26000. 1874-1876
Lens Book Volume 3. Serial numbers 26000-31000. 1877-1881
Lens Book Volume 4. Serial numbers 30000-37000. 1882-1885
Stock Book Volume 5. Serial numbers 36000-44000. 1884-1888
Stock Book Volume 6. Serial numbers 45000-55000. 1889-1895
Stock Book Volume 7. Serial numbers 55000-65000. 1895-1902

SS.

..................................Stock Books contain dates of manufacture and name of the workers involved at each stage of the lens making process.

..................................Lens books contain dates of manufacture, of sale and to whom.

..................................The Stock Book volumes have a page size of approximately 12 x 9 inches, except for Volume 2 which is 14 x 41/4 inches. The serial numbers of the lenses recorded in Volume 2 overlap those recorded in Volumes 3 and 4.

..................................It seems to me that Volume 2 represents a lone surviving workshop record and that the other stock book volumes represent office copies of these workshop records.

..................................The Lens Books are of a similar format to Stock Book Volume 2 and are, I think, also workshop records, an exception is Lens Book 1, of similar size to the Stock Books. It appears to be a partial office copy of a lost workshop original.The Photographic Lens Books also seem to be office copies, page size some 12 x 9 inches, containing the same information as the Lens Book series.

..................................Sadly all the records for 1860, 1861 and 1862, the first three years of Dallmeyer's existance as an independant lens manufacturer, are missing.

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