Leica Slides Projection

[armandofot]

Hi everybody,
i am a new user of this forum and i need your help. A member of my family gift me a Leica projector, i think is a projector but i am not very sure about it, i see that with this projector you can project slides and photopapers about 20x25cm.
Some photos about the Leica projector:







Anybody knows about this item? price estimated?
THANKS a lot for everybody!!!!!!!!!!!

[doubice]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

This contraption is also known as an Epidiascope or, an Opaque / Lantern Slide Projector. Leitz used to make a wide variety of these during the late 1930's and 1940's, with varying capabilities as to the size of originals and slides that could be projected.

Episcopes were used for projection of opaque objects, via a mirror system that projected the original page or any other non-transparent original onto a screen. An Epidiascope was a combination of an Episcope and a Lantern Slide projector - the upper lens projects the flat riginals, lower lens projects slides.

Not of much use for slide projection today, as the only 'slide' size it would take is 3 1/4" x 4". Leitz used to make adapters though for this epidiascope, which could accomodate 2"x2" glass mounted slides.

As to value - personally, I don't think that the unit has much collector's value today; mosty it would be valued as a curiosity. I can only find one reference to it in a 1939 E. Leitz Inc. (USA) catalogue - code name ABCUU, order number 76,800. Interestingly, it used to sell complete with 2 lenses and slide carrier for US$132.00, while a Leica IIIb body was US$123.00 and a Leica 250 went for US$192.00 (!!!!). This of course in 1939 dollars when new cars could be bought for less than US$1000.00......

The table the unit is mounted on looks to be beautifully made and is probably of Leitz manufacture as well.

Best,

Jan

[suilvenman]

Wow indeed. That looks as if it could fire .88 shells!

Cheers, Ken.