12 inch (305mm) f/6 Brass Nickle Cooke Triplet B&L

Hi everybody

Is anybody have experience whit this lens or a similar one?
Is it a good idea to get this lens for portrait in 4 X 5 format?

http://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/150760527169?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648

This looks to be a projector lens. It might do very well for a portrait lens depending on its focal length. It has no shutter and no aperture, so the seller's suggestion of using a Speed Graphic is a good one. If it is a projector lens, it probably was used for an old lantern slide projector, so sharp coverage may be only about a 2" circle, total image circle may only be about 3" or so. The seller has not given enough information to figure out focal length or image circle diameter.

Peter Gomena

I may have one of these. Mine came from an opaque projector sold around 1917-1920. It takes a nice image and covers, just barely, 8x10. Here is a detail from one quick shot I took while trying it out last year.

I surely wouldn't pay that much for a triplet like that. You could get a 6" - 8" petzval for less than that which would cover 4x5 to 5x7. Seems to me that 12" on a 4x5 is awfully long anyways, but I haven't shot any in a while and could be wrong on that.
Richard