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hkItem Name : 1898 GOERZ Celor 240mm f3.9 Prototype
Serial no. :
History : Here's an outstanding fast Celor 240mm f/3.9 experimental lens, an exceedingly rare Versuch or prototype lens made by C.P. Goerz of Berlin, Germany, specifically engineer dated on November 21st of 1898, and later acquired and studied by Carl Zeiss Jena (read more about that below). It has scattered dust motes and some sketchy mist inside the glass, not horrible yet exactly the sort of thing you'd expect to find in such an ancient optic, but the rest remains in generally excellent overall condition, especially considering the intense scrutiny and handling it must have received in the laboratory, featuring otherwise effectively clean optics and glass surfaces, heavy duty brass construction with golden aged patina, finely milled optical retaining rings, and it's been slotted for waterhouse stops. It's potentially still a usable lens, if you were that determined and wanted to find a mounting flange for it (the mounting threads are an impressive 96mm in diameter), but of course it's greatest value remains in its extreme and possibly unique historical significance. It's catalog number 131 in the original Goerz Objectiv Sammlung (the C.P. Goerz Lens Collection), and you can see the lens illustrated below with its accompanying catalog page. Another outstanding opportunity for serious historians and collectors of Zeiss and related lenses and the evolution of optical technology, or for modern photographers seeking the most exotic and interesting pieces.this lens originated in the C.P Goerz patent and prototype lens collection that was absorbed in 1926 by the even more famous Carl Zeiss lens collection, the massive accumulation of over two thousand pieces that Zeiss maintained in Jena across five decades, preserving all their prototypes and design variations from their beginnings in 1888 through the 1940's, and including hundreds of important and influential optics from their many competitors as well. The collection was brought to America by the United States military in 1945 just before Jena fell into Russian control, then after a few years of research under the Signal Corps it was handed over to Burke & James in the early 1950's for safe keeping in their own "lens bank", until eventually in the 1960's-1970's B&J (now Burleigh Brooks) sold it off in bits and pieces to the public.
Glass Description : cover 8x10 above,very faint front cleaning marks & one 4mm light scratch,rear cleaning marks no haze
Remark : with optical drawing on barrel,front & rear element can rotate for softness adjustment
Cosmetic Condition : EX++
Price : $