Dallmeyer (J.H.) Super Six · 101.6mm f/1.9

{"overview":"The Dallmeyer 4 Inch f\/1.9 Super Six is a fast 4-inch (approximately 100mm) prime lens from the British maker J.H. Dallmeyer, dating to the mid-twentieth century. The Super Six series was developed as a high-speed optic for cine and professional photographic use, and at f\/1.9 it sat among the fastest lenses of its class in the British market.","market_narrative":"At UK auction in the saleroom, two recent hammer results frame the picture: £4,788 in July 2025 at Chiswick and £8,500 in May 2024 at Flints, giving a midpoint near £6,644 — these are wholesale-level results before commissions. The wide spread shows how strongly condition, completeness and mount configuration influence what a Dallmeyer Super Six is worth today in 2026, with clean, presentable examples sitting at the upper end of the range. Buyers should expect retail asking prices from specialist dealers to sit above these auction figures.","buying_guide":"Inspect the glass carefully for fungus, internal haze and cleaning marks, all of which are common in pre-war and post-war British optics of this age, and check for any signs of element separation or balsam degradation visible as edge discoloration. Examine the iris for oil on the aperture blades and confirm the focus helicoid turns smoothly without stiffness or grease migration. Mount type and the presence of original caps, flange or adapters materially affect what the lens sells for.","specs":"Listed specifications are limited to the 4-inch (≈100mm) focal length and an f\/1.9 maximum aperture under the Dallmeyer Super Six designation; mount, element count and coating details are not documented in the provided data.","faq":[{"q":"What is a Dallmeyer 4 Inch f\/1.9 Super Six worth at auction?","a":"Recent UK hammer prices range from £4,788 to £8,500, so the lens has a current value broadly between those figures depending on condition, mount and completeness."},{"q":"How much does a Dallmeyer Super Six 4 Inch f\/1.9 sell for in clean condition?","a":"A clean, presentable example with good glass sells for towards the upper end of the recorded range, with the May 2024 Flints result of £8,500 illustrating what a strong copy can achieve at saleroom level."},{"q":"Why is the price range for this lens so wide?","a":"Condition issues such as fungus, haze, oil on blades and separation, together with mount variant and originality of fittings, drive a wide spread between the lowest and highest auction results."},{"q":"Are the quoted prices retail or wholesale?","a":"All figures cited here are UK auction hammer results, which represent wholesale levels before buyer's and seller's commission rather than dealer retail asking prices."}],"confidence":40,"reasoning":"Only two sales records are available and SPECS\/variants\/facts are empty, so confidence is capped per rule 8 and limited to model name, focal length, aperture and the two hammer prices."}