1954 - Summaron 35mm

THIS LEICA 35MM F3.5 M LENS FEATURES THE ENGRAVING "PA08801720." WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY ENCOUNTERED SIMILAR MARKINGS ON A SUMMICRON 35MM F2 V1. THIS IS NOT RANDOM GRAFFITI BUT RATHER A STANDARDIZED ASSET IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM, LIKELY ORIGINATING FROM A MILITARY BRANCH OR A PRESS ORGANIZATION. SUCH CODES REPRESENT A SYSTEMATIC INVENTORY CONTROL, LINKING THIS SPECIFIC OPTIC TO A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE HISTORY BEYOND THE COMMERCIAL MARKET.