Woohoo!!
One of my Christmas presents to myself arrived today. I ordered this MIR-1 2.8/37A on the 17th from a seller in Bulgaria. Given postal delays over the holiday season, I didn't expect it to arrive until New Year.
Not to be confused with the MIR-1 and MIR-1B, this 2.8/37A (from the ZOMZ plant) is an altogether rarer lens, with a very unusual diaphragm (see third photo) and a sprung preset mechanism. This one was advertised as "near mint", and I'd have to agree. It's in lovely condition... very clean optically, no marks to speak of externally, and just some light evidence of use on the mount. The preset works great, and there's not even a hint of oil on the diaphragm blades.
Focusing action is a wee bit stiff and uneven... Looking at the various screws on the barrel and mount, I'm fairly certain this lens has never been serviced, so the focusing helicoid will need the congealed Soviet "ear wax" cleaning off and re-lubricating. I don't mind... In fact, I'd much rather have a lens that hasn't been messed around with. I'll aim to sort it out in the next couple of weeks or so.
A nice bonus - the lens came in its original bakelite case, with the model sticker fully intact on the base. Also, the original screw-in front cap, but unfortunately no rear cap. I'll fit a generic one for now, but I'm on the lookout for an original
Very, very pleased with this one