Decoding serial numbers… Yashica has never been upfront with dating their cameras, lenses or their printed materials. Instruction booklets and sales brochures are only occasionally dated. Camera bodies and lenses (and accessories) remained a mystery until now. I believe I have finally decoded the serial numbers of Yashica’s first 35mm SLR, the Pentamatic. Look closely at this camera’s serial number… 36001500… knowing a little bit about when this camera was “invented” helped me decode the number. The trademark “Pentamatic” was filed by Yashica in September 1959 in Japan. The first prototypes were built around then with the first consumer models produced by December 1959. This camera dates… 3 = Mar / 60 = 1960 / 01500 = 1,500th unit made since December 1959. The latest camera in my database has a serial number of 16115756. This decodes to… January 1961 and was the 15,756 unit produced since December of 1959.
Hi, I would be very glad if you could write to me on my email, I have Yashica J-3 for sale, also additional lens and flash kako 225, but no idea how much is it worth.
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OK great!
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Beautiful camera, interesting location for the flash shoe.
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Thanks!
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Hey Chris, I tried to send you an email, but it keeps getting bounced by your mail server. Anyway, I wanted you to see my review of the Pentamatic S I posted today. I have credited yours and Paul Sokk’s site numerous times for the excellent research and information you have already done!
http://www.mikeeckman.com/2019/03/yashica-pentamatic-s-1961/
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Looks great, Mike!
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Hello – My first SLR was a Penta J, received as a gift from my parents in 1963. Until then I had been shooting with a Bolsey B2. The Yashica was a fine tool, and helped me land the job of sports and yearbook photographer at my high school.
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Great story! Thanks for sharing it. Those early Yashicas were something else. My first 35mm SLR was the Yashica TL Electro X in early 1972. I don’t have that one but I’ve gone on to collect quite a few more. GAS big time.
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