Adana eight-five serial numbers

Bob Richardson “The Adana Connection” (British Printing Society Jubilee Series of Monographs, no.4), London: British Printing Society, 1997, states that the Adana eight-five mk.1 was introduced 1953, the mk.2 in 1959/60, and the mk.3 in 1965.

The mk.1 had exposed roller-arm springs; the mk.2 and the mk.3 had covers on the roller-arm springs.

The mk. 1 and the mk.2 had two-part bases held together with tie-bolts; the mk.3 had its base cast in one piece.

I have a mk.2 serial number C11587, and a mk.3 serial number S3009 but no idea what dates they might be, nor of the significance of the initial letters. Did they really manufacture over 11,000 mk.2s?

Over on the British printing Society website it has been posted that number 3453 was invoiced April 1978 by Adana, Twickenham. This would be a mk.3; three-and-a-half thousand over 13 years equates to an average production of 270 a year - admittedly in a period when letterpress was waning. It is difficult to reconcile such an apparent output with what appear to be eleven-and-a-half thousand mk.2s sold in a mere five or six years which would suggest over 2,000 a year were sold in that period.

Can anyone contribute dates for specific serial numbers to begin to chart dates against numbers?

Log in to reply