Contax RTS Serial Number(s)

Chris and Carol

In the Contax RTS instruction booklet, the baseplate pictured either has a “real” serial number or one “made up” by the marketing department. RTS models out in the wild don’t have a serial number that is easy to decode (date manufactured), but this one does, at least if you know how to read Yashica serial numbers. I interpret this SN as February 1975 (502), and its number is 166.

The original instruction booklet (dated 06/76) has an 8-digit SN.
My RTS baseplate has serial number 087024, which looks nothing like the serial number in the instructions.
Here is a baseplate from an RTS-Fundus Scientific / Medical camera. I see 091238. I don’t see a date code in there – do you?

Anyway, this is just a quick post to gather my thoughts. Do you own a Contax RTS first model? I’d like to see more serial numbers as a pattern may appear. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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3 thoughts on “Contax RTS Serial Number(s)”

  1. Current RTS series serial numbers:

    RTS: 006682, 007592, 011506, 013407, 013541, 014878, 027805, 034705, 037401, 037544, 048835, 049371, 050772, 060969, 067042, 075380, 089775, 095810, 116417, 124119

    RTS Demonstrator: 074189, 080039

    RTS Fundus: 095647, 098043, 098991, 102069, 122915, 123438 124412, 124481, 124622

    Note: RTS Gold Anniversary models use completely different numbering systems

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    Reply

      1. Hi Chris,

        That’s a perfectly sensible conclusion and feels about right. However, frustratingly, it completely fails to get us any nearer to finding out how many RTS Fundus cameras were produced. As you will have noted, 3 of the Fundus serial numbers fall within the span of standard RTS production. It’s such a pity that Yashica chose not use its prior numbering system although, even if it had, as far as the RTSF is concerned, we might have learnt about its production dates but we’d be only marginally closer on divining the numbers manufactured.

        Cheers, Graham

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