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Article on Auctions and Collecting Classic Leicas


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Greetings from Ireland. This is my first post on the forum. I am a collector of classic Leica cameras, lenses and accessories and I have just posted the following article online about auctions and collecting such items:

 

http://macfilos.com/photo/2015/10/29/one-mans-story-online-camera-auctions-and-collecting-classic-leicas

 

My article originally appeared in the October 2015 edition of the Leica Society (UK) magazine. It contains useful information and links as well as photos of some items from my collection. I hope that forum members find the article enjoyable and useful.

 

William

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Welcome William, as I just returned from a fair with some nice finds for my collection I am in the mood for your article. Seems you are building a nice collection! As many others here as well, I too like to use the camera's and lenses and I am pleased to read that you take them out for fun as well.

Lex

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Already posted  but as William is a "roockie" here :

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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I have seen this already. Would you believe that a fellow collector in Ireland has asked me to write another article to address this very issue? I think I will take my time about this as I don't want to upset my wife. Suggestions about how to deal with this issue would be welcome, of course. I'm not planning to depart anytime soon, of course!

 

William

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Well... in my not too big town (200.000 about) there are three photo galleries... one of them, some years ago, was completed with a room that shows the camera collection of a citizen, donated to the gallery by will... a fine place to go time to time... he was a pro with studio, so some interesting Large Format items, some Leicas too... there is always someone walking in... can be an idea..

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I have seen this already. Suggestions about how to deal with this issue would be welcome, of course. I'm not planning to depart anytime soon, of course!

 

William

 

William,

 

If you are on good terms with your wife, I suggest you ask her to write the article (in her own name).

 

Good luck,

 

David

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Thanks David and Charles. The suggestion about an article on disposing of a collection came from a fellow collector in Ireland who had been asked to advise on the disposal of a substantial camera collection (not Leicas) which were part of the estate of an individual who had passed away in another European country. Selling to a retailer, using an auctioneer or going on eBay will not be the only concern where cameras form part of an estate.

 

Inheritance laws and related taxation matters vary considerably from one country to another. The usual situation is that a spouse will inherit such personal property items but life is not always so simple and there may be a need to value the items in order to divide the estate. While the world is hanging down with experts on art, silverware, porcelain etc , the number of experts on camera valuation is quite small. Often a spouse or a child will inherit personal property tax free but if they wait some time and then sell the items after they have appreciated in value, then a tax liability may arise. Valuations would, therefore, need to be realistic.

 

Retailers, acquiring a collection, will naturally seek a 'discount' so that they can realise a profit when they sell off the collection, piece by piece. 'Flooding' eBay with all of the items at once will, naturally enough, drive down potential prices. The best way might be to sell off a few pieces at a time in auction (for the collection items that are of that standard) but advice might be required from a trusted and neutral expert party and, as I said above, such persons are comparatively rare.

 

I have only touched on a number of the relevant issues here, but it will be obvious that this is a lot more complex than acquiring a collection. 

 

David, my wife and I are on very good terms. Indeed, she bought me my first LTM, a Zorki copy before I bought my first 'real' Leica LTM camera. However, she knows little or nothing about vintage Leicas or their value. She has never bought or sold anything on eBay and, indeed, I have never sold anything on eBay or at auction myself.

 

Finally, the collecting 'habit' is, generally, more likely to be found in males than in females. I have often wondered why that is the case. Are collections by males a substitute for the conquests of land and other property which our ancestors used to make? Now, there's a thought!

 

William

 

 

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Finally, the collecting 'habit' is, generally, more likely to be found in males than in females. I have often wondered why that is the case. Are collections by males a substitute for the conquests of land and other property which our ancestors used to make? Now, there's a thought!

 

William

Not sure, my wife is collecting (old) paintings from only 2 painter (a male and a female)

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