a short note on cxn serial numbers on Uboat binoculars

[Death-Ace]

For those looking for cxn. The update is now 5-6 replies below.
And my thread has now passed 10000 views.
Do I get the Wehrmacht Awards Award for this ?

Surprisingly enough, it's not a sticky yet!

[Mikedenmark]

I wonder.
My neighbour just told me a mad looking fella with a baseball bat had asked him if he was me. Kept mumbling about being web-admin on a site called Wehrmacht Awards and something about an overloaded server.... guess that an award may not be overdue.

[Mikedenmark]

Updated april 5th, 2015.
two new 7x50.

8x60 Uboot (kommandantenglas) 20 found

426503 Ebay nov. 2014
426531 Ebay feb 2013
426553
426559 Seeger grey book, page 384
426560
426579
426586
426590 "added after the original posting" ebay sale january 2013
426594
426616 ebay jan 2013. 616 may be 516. Or even 425516. Hard to see on the photo´s. 6616 chosen as most likely.
426628
426630
426655 Last 3 digits uncertain. Might be disregarded.
426658
426668
426669
426678
426690 Ebay.com may 2014.
426713 Seen in Australia.
426714

456942 No photo of this serial number has been seen. It was reported only. May be a misreading of 426642. Or, now we have seen several 7x50 below 457xxx, in fact a 7x50.

7x50 Uboat, 16 found

456864
456879
456887 (NEW )
456889
456902
456942 See the note above, at the end of the 8x60 list.
456996 (NEW)
457001
457002
457086
457128
457239
457241
457262
457263
457281

[karsdad]

garage sale

So I came across a pair of E. Leitz Wetzlar, 7x50 Marsept in darn near mint condition. The serial number is 513585. The case as well is almost mint, little storage wear. The "hinge" has delaminated but could easily be glued back together. Does anyone have information of age and or value? Thanks so much!

[Mikedenmark]

Updated september 4th, 2015.
three new 7x50.
one new 8x60.

Been a while.
It´s like laying out a puzzle where all the parts are strewn across the world.

Interesting that the list contains about 10 % of the likely run of the 8x60, and 5 % of the probable run of the 7x50.
Numbers are too small to really conclude anything, but they would be consistent with a theory that the 8x60 from Busch never really made it to the front line.
And hence, has survived.

Or maybe they were taken from the uboats in 1945. Unfortunately, the history of the bino´s wasn´t an issue I wanted to include when I started the list.
Too bad. The cxn run could actually have been used as a sample for the distribution of the binoculars.

( like, how do you count the numbers of fish in a pond? You fish up a sample, like 20 fish. Mark them all, and then release them again. Then you fish up 20 more fish. Now count how many marked fish were among the 2nd sample of 20. From that, you can make an estimate on how many fish there are in the pond.. Larger samples makes the method more accurate.)

A similar procedure might work with the knowledge gathered in our list of cxn binoculars.


8x60 Uboot (kommandantenglas) 21 found

426503 Ebay nov. 2014
426531 Ebay feb 2013
426553
426559 Seeger grey book, page 384
426560
426579
426586
426590 "added after the original posting" ebay sale january 2013
426594
426616 ebay jan 2013. 616 may be 516. Or even 425516. Hard to see on the photo´s. 6616 chosen as most likely.
426628
426630
426655 Last 3 digits uncertain. Might be disregarded.
426658
426668
426669
426672 (NEW) Seeger´s new book 2015
426678
426690 Ebay.com may 2014.
426713 Seen in Australia.
426714

456942 No photo of this serial number has been seen. It was reported only. May be a misreading of 426642. Or, now we have seen several 7x50 below 457xxx, in fact a 7x50.

7x50 Uboat, 19 found

456864
456879
456887
456889
456902
456917 (NEW)
456942 See the note above, at the end of the 8x60 list.
456996
457001
457002
457086
457128
457189 (NEW) Seeger´s new book 2015
457193 (NEW) Seeger´s new book 2015
457239
457241
457262
457263
457281

[Sgt Bilko]

Great stuff Mike - a true labour of love! But you could argue that the survival of only 10% of 8x60 cxn's compared with the survival of 32% of wartime built U Boats (784 0f 1,156 were lost) might indicate they were issued.

Statistically (all things being equal) we'd expect to see 73 8x60 cxn's survive - not 21. Of course we must also remember Mark Twain and his saying about "lies, dammed lies and statistics"...

[Mikedenmark]

I have a total of more than 2500 uboats?

Insane number either way. Denmark had 3, repeat 3, when we closed the sub´s down couple of years back.

But you have a point.
A wet dream of mine is to make stats on departure dates on uboats, and compare that with known numbers of binoculars. Just to see if anything can be distilled out of it.
But then again, I probably get caught midair by someone, who digs out the proper german documents on bino production somewhere.

Still, nice to think about. And yes, I also like plain puzzles.

[thepapers]

new serial number for cxn 8x60

Found today (by me, in Washington D.C). #426718

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...lFnRm5KWVZmd28

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...VdGTlE2Qm5ydWM

[Bill Parker]

8x60

That is a very nice 8x60

[coastaldefence]

Very nice indeed, congratulations!

[Mikedenmark]

Updated jan. 5th, 2016.

One new 8x60.

New high number. Thank you for the addition.

At least the one in Australia was also in almost new condition.
Those above 426700 are most likely surplus sold from storage postwar.

8x60 Uboot (kommandantenglas) 22 found

426503 Ebay nov. 2014
426531 Ebay feb 2013
426553
426559 Seeger grey book, page 384
426560
426579
426586
426590 "added after the original posting" ebay sale january 2013
426594
426616 ebay jan 2013. 616 may be 516. Or even 425516. Hard to see on the photo´s. 6616 chosen as most likely.
426628
426630
426655 Last 3 digits uncertain. Might be disregarded.
426658
426668
426669
426672 Seeger´s new book 2015
426678
426690 Ebay.com may 2014.
426713 Seen in Australia.
426714
426718 (NEW)

456942 No photo of this serial number has been seen. It was reported only. May be a misreading of 426642. Or, now we have seen several 7x50 below 457xxx, in fact a 7x50.

7x50 Uboat, 19 found

456864
456879
456887
456889
456902
456917
456942 See the note above, at the end of the 8x60 list.
456996
457001
457002
457086
457128
457189 Seeger´s new book 2015
457193 Seeger´s new book 2015
457239
457241
457262
457263
457281

[Sgt Bilko]

interesting to see the 8x60's still fall within the range mentioned by Mike Palmer;

I have it on great authority that only 250 were ever made. From 426500 to 426750.

Is there any further info in Prof Seeger's new book?

[benutzer]

I have 426520

[Sgt Bilko]

So now we have 23 of 250 8x60's - interesting!

[Mikedenmark]

Updated jan. 5th, 2016.

two new 8x60.

New high number. Thank you for the additions.

At least the one in Australia was also in almost new condition.
Those above 426700 are most likely surplus sold from storage postwar.

Too bad if someone actually have the data on these.
Makes this list a bit of wasted time. If the said info ever surfaces.
Until then, this still makes sense.
Like how it can be proved they were actually made.

Fun to see the picture getting sharper for each new number.

I learned the other day someone should have a list of the Kriegsmarine N numbers. But is waiting for a crazy millionaire to come and buy it.
Point is, money aside, such a list exist. No one can know if it is unique.
Maaaaaaybe some archive has one too.

8x60 Uboot (kommandantenglas) 23 found

426503 Ebay nov. 2014
426520 Austria (NEW)
426531 Ebay feb 2013
426553
426559 Seeger grey book, page 384
426560
426579
426586
426590 "added after the original posting" ebay sale january 2013
426594
426616 ebay jan 2013. 616 may be 516. Or even 425516. Hard to see on the photo´s. 6616 chosen as most likely.
426628
426630
426655 Last 3 digits uncertain. Might be disregarded.
426658
426668
426669
426672 Seeger´s new book 2015
426678
426690 Ebay.com may 2014.
426713 Seen in Australia.
426714
426718 (NEW)

456942 No photo of this serial number has been seen. It was reported only. May be a misreading of 426642. Or, now we have seen several 7x50 below 457xxx, in fact a 7x50.

7x50 Uboat, 19 found

456864
456879
456887
456889
456902
456917
456942 See the note above, at the end of the 8x60 list.
456996
457001
457002
457086
457128
457189 Seeger´s new book 2015
457193 Seeger´s new book 2015
457239
457241
457262
457263
457281