I recetly took delivery of a Grubb A3 Petzval lens dating to the early 1860s (I know its before 1865 as there are records from then). After cleaning decades of filth from the glass (including an old sticker on the rear element) it proved to have near immaculate optics, certainly the best I've seen to date from such a lens. Surprisingly it came with a set of 7 Waterhouse Stops which are a very good fit and they also fit another A3 Petzval I have, but are marginally tight on a third; not surprising since these were small batch, handbuilt lenses. For anyone interested here are two photos (also taken on an 1860s Grubb lens designed for stereo work) which show the aperture series - it is an 'Imperial' series which potentially mirrors the available drill sizes of the time! It is of course possible that the Waterhouse Stops date from later but on balance I think that they are probably correct - I'd be interested to know if such stops were subcontracted and built to lens maker's specifications.
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