by JanBoettcher » Tue Dec 10, 2013 9:25 pm
Eddie,
I do like details.
Naturally the Club could start a clarification between model designations (Parker, Evas, Prochnow, ...) and build up a data base with all serial numbers there could possibly exist and anybody sighting a Rollei with legible serial number shoul note the spotting of this camera and all its features in the data base. That could be a nice "data cemetery".
It would be total fun to maintain the data base, and in case anybody finds an offer for a Rolleiflex with the seller just showing the serial number and not the camera('s details) one could look up the number in the table, judge from previous sightings or numbers just left and right, buy the camera, receive and unpack it and be more or less surprised how well the actual camera meets the guessed specification. But one could hardly complain if anything is not up to the expectation.
Even more fun would be to know the owner of a camera with a serial number representing my birthday.
I remember in the olden days (before "internet", compuserve just getting up) Ian Parker's Jersey based Rollei Club had a fairly nice club-magazine (I joined the club for a year when visiting Jersey), over several issues (at least to my memory it was more than just one) two experts were quarreling who's 2,8E3 (or was it an E2?) with large or small lower spool knob would represent the less common variant (a good reason, not to renew membership - in case you know how to swap spool knobs without defacing them or the tiny screws).
The serial number is just a jump to a conclusion, but in case somebody is sellng #88888888 or #666666 do let me know!
Jan