Graflex.org

[msawdey]

Hi, all--I recently acquired a 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 RB Autograflex (eBay, where else?), with the serial number 52366. Can anyone give me an idea of the date of manufacture? It came with a Goerz (Berlin) Dogmar, f4.5, 195mm, with serial number 524595, which I'm suspecting might be original to the piece, or at least of the same era. Any date information on that one would also be appreciated.

Thanks to Burt Saunders's manuals, illustrations, and advice, I've got the shutter working on most aperture/tension combinations, though it still won't go to O. The Dogmar cleaned up reasonably well (some film inside, on the air-spaced elements), looks like it would give a well-defined if faintly misty image. With some film on the way from Freestyle Photo Sales, I look forward to giving it a try.

[45PSS]

There is no way to accurately date your camera. Serial numbers were listed by camera type and production batch but dates were not added to the register until the 1920's. Knowledgeable people from the company reviewed the records and speculated dates and a few sales records that had the serial numbers helped determine those dates so the best guess is 1915 or 1916.
The Goerz Dogmar came into existence in 1914. Coverage is 54 to 55 degrees wide open. 125 is normal for 3x4, 195 is normal for 4 3/4 x 6 1/2. (Lens Collectors Vade Mecum).
Edit : I found this post
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?p=402557 which puts the lens to be a 1922 vintage.

If the shutter will not close and lock when tripped from O (open) on tension setting 1 then the shutter needs servicing. Speeds will be inaccurate until it will.
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