corkscrew Posted March 2, 2011 Share #1 Posted March 2, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have been photographing for many years and my only hands-on experience of Leicas is my father's early M3 which I am now proud to be the guardian of (I use the word guardian as I am sure the camera will far outlast me!) Having read and researched far too much I am interested in putting together a small collection of some of the earlier Leicas. I have searched through online dealers websites and obviously EBay is a great tool. I am particularly interested in the very early Leica I model A (I have not called it the 1A as I know that generates a bit of excitement) Over the past few years it would appear that this model has gone from a fairly scarce find to one that appears regularly on eBay. A search for iA or 1A will invariably throw up half a dozen examples. My biggest concern I guess is whether the general opinion is that a number of these are doubtful examples or whether for the most part they are genuine. Even to my eye some fakes stand out a mile but what of the Leica I's? Is this renowned for fakes and what is the general consensus on the ones that appear on eBay? As a final query can I ask what models you would suggest I look for? I'd like to use most of them occasionally and am only after a nice representation of a range of models. Many thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 2, 2011 Posted March 2, 2011 Hi corkscrew, Take a look here Leica I model A questions. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jc_braconi Posted March 2, 2011 Share #2 Posted March 2, 2011 May be I am from the old school, but I think you need to have some litterature about to refer and compare.(years of production and serial numbers to tell a few) Or you can look at some on line renowned shops to compare with what you find on Ebay. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted March 2, 2011 Share #3 Posted March 2, 2011 Basically, the Leica I (model A) is NOT a rare item if in the standard configuration with Elmar 50: it was the model that established Leica's success, was built in thousands and so is not a camera that is particularly worth to be faked (items with Elmax or Anastigmat are VERY rare, and fakes abound). So, most of the items one can find for sale are probably original, and surely those that are sold by reputable dealers (don't comment on ebay... no experience). Prices have a wide range for, being a very old model, ORIGINALITY and COSMETICS can be much different from item to item : a 1A for instance, can have been repaired by some 3rd party lab, even many years ago, and some small detail (buttons etc...) replaced with "similar" but not "original" parts... the covering and paint can have been restored with the same issue and so on... Just as an example, if you look at this serious dealer : Newoldcamera - Prodotti You can find two model I with one that costs more than 2x the other : neither is a fake, but looking at the description is easy to understand why the dealer asks for two such different prices, And... the above quotation is for cameras only... if one looks for a SET, with camera and some contemporary accessories (bags, rangefinder...) the prices can have an even wider variancy... see another very serious dealer : https://www.leicashop.com/vintage/leica-screw-cameras-mod-elmar-c-1000_1001_100103.html If you have the idea of building up a (small or big) collection (an idea which, in this forum, we OF COURSE agree with ), a lot of advices can be made by many people hereby... : I provide the first two opinions that come to my mind... others will follow surely...: - Decide from the start if you looks for RARITY, QUALITY or QUANTITY : a collection with 6 items (Anastigmat, Compur, Non Standard with 2 matching lenses, 250, IIId, 72) is splendid and costly... for half the cost you can have a collection of, say, 15 FINE bodies to encompass the whole story of LTMs... or for less again ith the bodies are not so FINE... - Decide from almost the start if you whish to think of BODIES only, or LENSES too (a whole field in inself), or ACCESSORIES too (very wide and complex field with interesting specialities like finders) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
corkscrew Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted March 2, 2011 Thank you for your reply - I have read numerous books and trawled many websites (and this forum has been incredibly enlightening) but there are questions that I am not confident enough to answer. If you take this current auction:- Leitz Leica IA # 18628 von 1929 - eBay (item 190506049120 end time Mar-07-11 11:46:17 PST) (...and I really could have picked from half a dozen or more) what are your views? Does the camera and lens look right? Are there any tell-tale signs that should deter a potential buyer? Thanks again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
corkscrew Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted March 2, 2011 Thanks Luigi I guess I am after a small collection of cameras that I am happy to use rather than being too rare or valuable to risk. I would prefer a mix of bodies and lenses so that I have a good range of options and a healthy headache about what combination to use at any given time! From an aesthetic point of view I am drawn to the very early models as I feel they have such a simplistic and elegant design and do exactly what they were designed to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted March 2, 2011 Share #6 Posted March 2, 2011 Thanks LuigiI guess I am after a small collection of cameras that I am happy to use rather than being too rare or valuable to risk. I would prefer a mix of bodies and lenses so that I have a good range of options and a healthy headache about what combination to use at any given time! From an aesthetic point of view I am drawn to the very early models as I feel they have such a simplistic and elegant design and do exactly what they were designed to do. Good, I forgot you wrote explicitly of USER items : well, in this case I think a model I can be appealing but probably not the best (the lens, being fixed, is easy to be hazed / fogged etc...); probably, speaking of prewar items, the best for using is a "III" model... personally I have a IIIC of 1942 which works perfectly. If you plan to "go postwar", the IIIG is both a fine collectible and, as for using, a step-up on all the previous LTMs thanks to its new finder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
corkscrew Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted March 2, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thank you Luigi - and excellent links!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
batten Posted May 17, 2012 Share #8 Posted May 17, 2012 Thanks Luigi and others, I have an early model A, 4 digit serial number 15xx, will this be a valuable collectable item to a collector, condition is similiar to others seen on ebay, shutter is OK , leatherette ok and of course some brassing, interested in your opinion. thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted May 17, 2012 Share #9 Posted May 17, 2012 Thanks Luigi and others, I have an early model A, 4 digit serial number 15xx, will this be a valuable collectable item to a collector, condition is similiar to others seen on ebay, shutter is OK , leatherette ok and of course some brassing, interested in your opinion. thanks I expect one of the forum mods might give you his opinion soon. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted May 18, 2012 Share #10 Posted May 18, 2012 Thanks Luigi and others, I have an early model A, 4 digit serial number 15xx, will this be a valuable collectable item to a collector, condition is similiar to others seen on ebay, shutter is OK , leatherette ok and of course some brassing, interested in your opinion. thanks Welcome to the forum !!! A model A with four digit s/n is interesting collectible... surely to be inspected with care for the reasons above said : some picture of your item are very welcome, here ; by the other side, no evaluation will be done, as a general rule of the forum; anyway, for an item like yours, even an approximate value is hard to be given. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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