Fontenelle archives 31 : Very early conversion to interchangeable

[Pecole]

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A very interesting piece I had in my Fontenelle Collection is this Leica I "close focus" nº 19655, delivered in London on May 24, 1929 and immediately converted and offered by Ross, a British lens manufacturer, as "interchangeable, not standardized" version combining the original 5 cm Elmar and a 4 in. (10,16 cm) F. 5.5 Teleros. Dennis Laney quotes and illustrates a similar conversion (with the slightly different Teleros 4" f/5.6) in the 2d edition of his Collector's Guide, pages 51 and 52.

Clearly visible on the first picture hereunder is the casing with hinge-up mask fitted over the camera's viewfinder for use with the 4" lens. The Teleros came with a very nice rigid learher container.

[jc_braconi]

Pierre, beautiful & interesting pieces.

Why not explaining, the meaning of "Fontenelle collection" and how you began collecting Leitz items ?

Thank you in advance.

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[sabears]

Fantastic items!

 

Thank you.

[beoon]

A very interesting piece I had in my Fontenelle Collection is this Leica I "close focus" nº 19655, delivered in London on May 24, 1929

 

Pierre,

 

May I ask you how you found out your Leica 1 "close focus" no 19655 was delivered in London on May 24th 1929.

The reason I ask is that I have also got a Leica 1 "close focus" no 21220, according to the Leica Historica band 1 these cameras where from the same batch (13375-21478) in 1929.

I did ask Leica a few years ago if they could give me any more info on my camera, but they either could not or would not which was very disappointing.

Was the close focus only for the UK and USA market (ie distance scale in feet)?

 

Please keep up the good work, I am learning all the time with your excellent posts.

 

Regards from Scotland

 

Alan

[Pecole]

Pierre,

 

May I ask you how you found out your Leica 1 "close focus" no 19655 was delivered in London on May 24th 1929.

The reason I ask is that I have also got a Leica 1 "close focus" no 21220, according to the Leica Historica band 1 these cameras where from the same batch (13375-21478) in 1929.

I did ask Leica a few years ago if they could give me any more info on my camera, but they either could not or would not which was very disappointing.

Was the close focus only for the UK and USA market (ie distance scale in feet)?

 

Please keep up the good work, I am learning all the time with your excellent posts.

 

Regards from Scotland

 

Alan

 

Many thanks for your appreciation, Alan. When collecting (I am now 76, retired in Portugal, and sold my collection 15 years ago), I used to visit Leitz Wetzlar - where I had friendly contacts - at least twice a year, and spent much time in their museum and files. I was lucky to be able to find traces of most of my bodies and lenses in their production books.

As far as I know, most - if not all - "close focus" Leica I were delivered in UK and US.

I am not surprised by your disappointment : the deep change in "spirit" at Leitz played a role in my parting of my collection.

Leically yours from sunny Algarve.

Pierre

[Pecole]

Pierre, beautiful & interesting pieces.

Why not explaining, the meaning of "Fontenelle collection" and how you began collecting Leitz items ?

Thank you in advance.

 

OK, Jean-Claude : if you ask for...Here is the story behind the origins of the Fontenelle Collection.

First : how I began collecting. My first hobby was Aviation : I started piloting at 14, became an Aviation Journalist at 16 (when simultaneously graduating as a doctor at Law at the University) and was offered a Leica IIIc with three lenses by the magazine I worked for. Some time later, I upgraded to IIIf, then M3, but always kept my "old" equipment in a drawer. In the late 1960s, I heard about a "Leica Historical Association" in the USA and,after a difficult tracing (remember : no internet at that time), became an early international member. After receiving the first copy of their bulletin, I re-opened my drawer, identified the various bodies and lenses and decided to look for a Leica I, which I discovered within days at the Brussels flea market. Then, the "virus" was in : I visited each week the four main Leica dealers in Brussels, paid a first visit to Wetzlar where I met the executive in charge of the Belgian market : Attila von Gyimes...who had graduated at the same college as me in Brussels. The next eccelerator was the 1975 anniversary and the issue of special engravings. I became friend with and visited Jim Lager, Rolf Fricke, Paul-Henry van Hasbroeck, Ghester Sartorius, Alberico Arces, etc..

My great "discoveries" as a collector were the "Italian" Leicas (IIIb and IIIc), the ALOS documents about the "M3 Post" and the Leica 250 prototype nº 114052 in strictly original condition.

Now about the name Fontenelle. The very first property of my Belgian ancesters in the 18th century was called "Fontenelle" (means "small spring" in old French), and, as I had been given the first name of Pierre in honor of our first known ancester, I was anxious to buy my first home, after marrying, at this Fontenelle place. I was happy to find an old farm to buy at "Fontenelle", but discovered immediately after buying it that there were ... three other sites called Fontenelle within a radius of 20 km. And of course, "mine" was probably not the right one! But it became my family home - and that of my Leica collection - from 1964 to 1993, when I retired to Portugal and left it to my second son (we have 2 sons and a daughter).

That's it. I never thought it might interest someone...

[Pecole]

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A very interesting piece I had in my Fontenelle Collection is this Leica I "close focus" nº 19655, delivered in London on May 24, 1929 and immediately converted and offered by Ross, a British lens manufacturer, as "interchangeable, not standardized" version combining the original 5 cm Elmar and a 4 in. (10,16 cm) F. 5.5 Teleros. Dennis Laney quotes and illustrates a similar conversion (with the slightly different Teleros 4" f/5.6) in the 2d edition of his Collector's Guide, pages 51 and 52.

Clearly visible on the first picture hereunder is the casing with hinge-up mask fitted over the camera's viewfinder for use with the 4" lens. The Teleros came with a very nice rigid learher container.

 

Some more information I had not found in my files when writing my first comments.

It is not the lens manufacturer, but the British Leitz importer who made and offered the conversion. Both the Elmar and the 4" Teleros have a multistart thread (deepthrow type), but are marked with a dot on the mount flange which matches with a red dot on the body's flange, clearly visible on our pictures: When carefully aligning the two dots, screwing is not too difficult! The Teleros is listed as the most scarce of all pre-war alien lenses for the Leica by the authors of The Collector's Check List, and was apparently also offered in standard Leica thread under the code TILICA

[jc_braconi]

OK,That's it............... I never thought it might interest someone...

I love biographies ...

Thank you Pierre.