After carefully re-reading CRU magazine issue 13, I’m delighted to tell you a Rollei TLR collector’s story !
Maybe this would be of some interest to Mr. Ian Parker for his records on the Rolleiflex T.
The context is here : CRU magazine issue #13 pages 8&9, Ian Parker’s Rolleiflex T comprehensive serial number information. 2315000 - 2315999 H 1000 Tessar/Xenar SyncComp XV 06/09/1971 UFP1
*After the remaining stock of - (approximately 360) - Tessar lenses had been used, Schneider Xenar 75mm f3.5 lenses as used in the Rolleicord Vb, still in production, were substituted. The number of `T’ cameras actually manufactured with Xenar lenses is approximately 4640. The over production run of this order being 1140, were sold through Rollei agents.
It appears that I am the owner of the Rolleiflex T model S/N 2315362 and it is has a Tessar lens S/N 5374516, (see the attached jpeg image). Unfortunately, the last digit, “2” has been cropped; I did not know when taking the picture that this last digit could be so important !
Hence, if the S/N series are consistent with the chronological order, the very last Rolleiflex T with a Tessar is numbered somewhere just above my S/N i.e. 2315363 and subsequent numbers !
The other conclusion is that my camera never went to the Royal Navy General Photographic Store 😉 but was deliveread to some other “Rollei agents” to quote Mr. Parker.
Well, the idea that I could own the very last Rolleiflex T fitted with a Tessar lens looks strange to me since I have always considered this camera, bought new in 1977, as a user’s camera, not a collector’s !
