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'Special order' for Leitz London? In 1939 Leitz had a sales office in Mayfair London.

 

...

 

 

Well, quite a few went to London, though those indicated "s.o" went to other places as well.

 

The second column shows the model. If it was just an "ordinary" 250 one would expect "Loomy" or "Looye".

 

I fear the mystery can only be solved if one looks at entries for the 250 on other pages of the journal.

 

Btw: I found the meaning of "Cattaneo": it was the representation of Leitz for Italy in Genova.  

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I have heard of the same application, street photographers. here in the U.S.  No doubt, considerable wear was encountered on these cameras.

My Reporter database has 200 entries of what my studies show were 929 made. Only 7 are chrome.  Many cameras have been flash sync'd, popular in the 50ties, factory updated cameras after 1952 have GMBH engraved and often white paint rather than bismuth filling.

My information was that all were originally produced in black paint, and that when some of these did not sell, they were returned for chrome plating.  Or, some customers just wanted to swithch to chrome.  I have recorded camera 324031 as presently chrome.  In the records page above, there is no mention that it was not originally black. Shipped in June 1939 to London.  In any event, a chrome reporter is ultra rare.

 

My reporter, 260055 shipped 4/38 is noted as LOOMY-HOOPY, so I have a 28 Hektor on it.

My reporter, 352464 was not shipped until Jan. 2, 1942 to Italy, of course an ally to Germany. No lens is listed, so maybe jiust a plain LOOMY. It is motor capable.

 

Now, to request some ideas, here is reporter top plate 353842, new.  Many experts say the last produced was 353700, but that cannot be true as I have seen 353742,43,47 and even 353753 is in the Leitz Museum.  This top plate is about 90 units above even the museum one.  Did Leitz make some replacement top plates for use as spares?  Why is a serial engraved, usually for spares it is blank and engraved with the same number as the damaged camers sent for rebuilding?  I have the new bottom plate to go with it.  Maybe the new rangefinder housing would be engraved with the replaced number and this number of mine would just hide under the rangefinder.

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Any thoughts appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have heard of the same application, street photographers. here in the U.S.  No doubt, considerable wear was encountered on these cameras.

My Reporter database has 200 entries of what my studies show were 929 made. Only 7 are chrome.  Many cameras have been flash sync'd, popular in the 50ties, factory updated cameras after 1952 have GMBH engraved and often white paint rather than bismuth filling.

My information was that all were originally produced in black paint, and that when some of these did not sell, they were returned for chrome plating.  Or, some customers just wanted to swithch to chrome.  I have recorded camera 324031 as presently chrome.  In the records page above, there is no mention that it was not originally black. Shipped in June 1939 to London.  In any event, a chrome reporter is ultra rare.

 

My reporter, 260055 shipped 4/38 is noted as LOOMY-HOOPY, so I have a 28 Hektor on it.

My reporter, 352464 was not shipped until Jan. 2, 1942 to Italy, of course an ally to Germany. No lens is listed, so maybe jiust a plain LOOMY. It is motor capable.

 

Now, to request some ideas, here is reporter top plate 353842, new.  Many experts say the last produced was 353700, but that cannot be true as I have seen 353742,43,47 and even 353753 is in the Leitz Museum.  This top plate is about 90 units above even the museum one.  Did Leitz make some replacement top plates for use as spares?  Why is a serial engraved, usually for spares it is blank and engraved with the same number as the damaged camers sent for rebuilding?  I have the new bottom plate to go with it.  Maybe the new rangefinder housing would be engraved with the replaced number and this number of mine would just hide under the rangefinder.

attachicon.gifIMG_0400.jpg

attachicon.gifIMG_0401.jpg

 

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

 

 

Alan, Does your database include Reporter 250s listed in the WestLicht Auction previous sales? There are many 250 cameras listed with their serial numbers including at lest one silver model … plus known fakes 

 

http://www.westlicht-auction.com/index.php?id=418&L=1

 

dunk 

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I agree with Wizard - though perhaps the explanation for "v.o." is even simpler: it meens "s.o" ("siehe oben" - "look above" or "as above"). The person who wrote the columns used a mixture between old German handwriting and Latin writing - this  mixture was very frequent at this time (both my parents born at 1918 and 1926 used some sort of mixtures of both writing styles).

 

If you look at the "official writings" in old German handwriting ("Deutsche Schreibschrift") you'll see that an "s" had a lot of similarities to a Latin "v" in some versions: 

Deutsche Schreibschrift

 

....

 

Now that sounds very plausible to me. I did not think of the old German handwriting, which of course was frequently used at the time, and "s.o." is in fact still used today and is very common indeed. 

 

Cheers, Andy

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If you google.

 

“Barkers the cameras”

Or look at the Barkers pages on the gohomeonapostcard website

 

You should get to a picture of Barry Drake with his chrome Leica Reporter as a “walkies” photographer on Yarmouth seafront in the 50’s/60’s. The information about Barkers seafront walkies photographers has been researched by Paul Godfrey.

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The WestLicht Auction previous sales' results  http://www.westlicht-auction.com/index.php?id=418&L=1   include three Leica 250 cameras with military provenance: 

 

1)  Sale date 2 & 3 May 2003:   Lot No. 28; Leica 250, ‘italian Air Force’ (unsold)  

 

2)  Sale date 18/12/2010

 
Lot No 54  250 GG ‘Reichssicherheitshauptamt’  
 
Lot No 55 Leica 250  250 GG + Motor MOOEV for Stuka dive bomber
 
 
dunk
Edited by dkCambridgeshire
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I know quite a few of you writing here are more or less pure collectors but are there anyone actually using a 250 today? Would be very cool if someone did and as interesting to hear their impressions. The camera has always fascinated my and stricken me as a very special but somewhat awkward and clumsy camera.

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My modest contribution :

 

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Just to confuse matters, are we sure it is a "v" as some people write their "r" like that, making the abbreviation "r.o". ? 

 

Wilson

 

Has anyone asked Lars Netopil yet? He would settle this in a few seconds.

 

William

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  • 5 months later...

I am currently negotiating on an FF250. Does anyone know where I can get a drawing of the trimming template, so that I can get my son to 3D print one in metal?

 

Wilson

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Hi Mike, 

 

The 250 Template is a lot longer and a different shape to an ABLON. I already have an original Leitz ABLON and ABCOO. 

 

Wilson

 

 

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