Fontenelle archives 19 : two wartime rarities

[Pecole]

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Two valuable items in the Fontenelle Collection were the Leica IIId and the black MOOLY-C. Here are the photos.

The IIId (Leitz code LOOTP) is serialled 360069. It is interesting to note that in the Leitz books, the 360001-360100 batch is referred to as IIIa produced in 1940-42. Dennis Laney confirms that, but also notes that IIId's are encountered in the 360001-360125 and 367001-367325 ranges.

Ours was an early model with black shutter blind, no slow speed dial lock and six concentric stepped rings on the delay lever's tip.

The black MOOLY-C is numbered 5334. Laney says that MOOLY-Cs were produced in chrome (numbered approx. 5000-5200), in grey (5200-5300) and "Black ones with serial numbers generally above 5300 also appear". These lasts are the scercest ones.

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[sabears]

Nice items!

But a lot of errors in Laney!

Camera is from official IIID batch, here IIID figures.

 

PROD. LEICA III d

 

Serial N°

n. of camera

year

 

360002 - 360007

6

1940

 

360009

1

1940

 

360010

1

1947

 

360011 - 360021

11

1940

 

360026

1

1939

 

360027 - 360035

9

1941

 

360037 - 360068

32

1941

 

360069 - 360073

5

1942

 

360074

1

1940

 

360075 - 36084

10

1942

 

360106

1

1943

 

360107 - 360109

3

1942

 

360115 - 360125

11

1942

 

360126

1

1943

 

360127 – 360134

8

1943

 

367001 - 367010

10

1941

 

367011 - 367020

10

1944

 

367021 - 367025

5

1941

 

367026 - 367028

3

1942

 

367029 - 367032

4

1944

 

367033

1

1943

 

367034

1

1944

 

367035

1

1940

 

367036 - 367040

5

1944

 

367041

1

1942

 

367043 - 367045

3

1944

 

367047 - 367119

73

1944

 

367121 - 367239

119

1944

 

367240 - 367250

11

1945

 

36725

1 - 367257

7

1944

 

367258

1

1941

 

367259 - 367287

29

1944

 

367289

1

1944

 

367290 - 367325

36

1944

 

TOT. 427 cameras

 

 

Moreover the black Mooly-C is post -war and the most common Mooly-C one (about 380 pieces from 5300 to 5680 ca. sold to USA,see n. 5535 here Mooly-C 5535 ), the rarest being grey wartime non- K (according to Jim.lager and Westlicht Auction see lot n.295 auction 15, they say...MOOLY Grey Paint the rarest version of all MOOLY clockwork motor drives is the model C in original grey finish, less than 10 pieces are known to exist,... paid Euro9000!), but even the grey-K and the chrome-K, are very very rare.

 

Cheers.

Edited September 13, 2010 by sabears
mistake

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[Pecole]

Thanks a lot for your valuable and detailed information. Now, let me add that in fact, I owned two IIId in my Fontenelle Collection : the # 360069 illustrated (with black blind), but also the # 367308 with red blind. Interestingly, van Hasbroeck says that the 367305-367324 batch was delivered in 1944 to the Japanese Embassy's Naval Attaché in Berlin.

Further, I have a problem with your list : even after careful check, my computer totals 422 serials,not 427 in your list. Did you forget one batch?

[sabears]

It's true, may be I've done a mistake in writing down the list.

I don't have the book here now, if you have you can find the complete list in the book "LEICA HISTORICA - Screw Camera Production",year 1978.

Very interesting the delivery to the Japanese Embassy's!

Thank you to share, best greetings.