Graflex.org

crawdad · Joined: 22 Jun 2001 Posts: 16 Location: Heart of Georgia

I'm hoping Les can age this beauty for me. The serial number is: 974728. Guessing around '54-55. Am I close?
Thanks.

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Ron

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

Nope. That number went into the registry 11/63. At this stage of the game the delay factor (the time it was registered to the time it was built) can be quite long.

Check on this site about dating your camera and the alpha codes. Somewhere you should find a code similar to K3A. Most of the time they were found on the underside of the front rail strut (the piece that links the left rail to the right rail)

I have a camera that has the code stamped in white ink on the inside left of the body (where the rod of a kalart rangefinder would have come through from the outside)

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"In order to invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" Thomas Edison

crawdad · Joined: 22 Jun 2001 Posts: 16 Location: Heart of Georgia

Thanks Les. The manufacturing code is "F4A", which would put it around May '64.
F - May
4 - 1964 or 74 (mine would be 64)
A - Product as initially released (I suppose this would confirm 1964).
Thanks again for your help.

_________________
Ron

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

Made just in time for the World's Fair in NYC and the debut of the head turning 1965 Ford Mustang. (May 17)

_________________
"In order to invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" Thomas Edison

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

Actually the May might be June. The site skips the letter D and last I noticed F was the 6th letter of the alphabet. I'll ask Leigh if the missing 'D' was a Graflexism (they didn't use the I for fear of it looking alike a 1) or a typo.

L

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"In order to invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" Thomas Edison

CharlesC · Joined: 10 May 2001 Posts: 25 Location: East Tennessee

No help but interesting trivia. I have your older brother. SN 974135, code E4A, born April, 1964, I think.

Henry · Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2001 4:40 pm Post subject:

Les,

Regarding the missing letter "D", I sent a message to "bugs@graflex.org" a while ago on that very matter and never heard a thing. I'm sure it's a mistake, as there is an example right below which uses "D" and translates it as an April date.