Your Leica bargain stories

[Michiel Fokkema]

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I bought a M7 with tri-elmar for 2500 euro and sold the tri-elmar for 2300.

[kangaroo2012]

I bought a Leica R3 for AU$57.00. The dealer told me it did not work, I turned my back to him and switched the camera on

and it works perfectly, how could I resist?

Years ago a dealer sold me a Thambar, complete, Leica 111B, 73  mm hektor and a 3.5 elmar, all in an old QANTAS flight bag

for AU$500.00.

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[pico]

Good news, bad news: pristine 135mm Hektor with filter, proper reversible lens shade and caps for $35 USD probably low because it was in a hopelessly stuck, scratched almost opaque bubble case. The bad news - I cannot imagine using a Leica lens longer than 75mm. My fail.
 

[plaidshirts]

I got a mint late model M3 with a rigid Summicron 50, a working MR meter and a bunch of Leica filters for $1000 off ebay. Also got an M6 TTL with MP .85 VF and a recent DAG CLA for $1300, locally. Not $5 finds, but good deals nonetheless.

[wlaidlaw]

I just acquired a free R4-MOT, when I bought a 500mm MR-Telyt-R. In fact the price of the MR-Telyt seemed to be considerably reduced because it had a probably non-working R4 attached to it! A couple of hours work, cleaning battery contacts and various internal switch contacts (mode, EV, ISO) and all is now working perfectly. As I don't like lever winds due to an arthritic thumb, for just a few pounds, I added a Motor-Winder-R. The only thing that needs doing is light seals. I got an R4 seal kit from US camera in Colorado and have taken the R4 over this afternoon, to my local camera repair man, Kelvin at Protech near Uckfield, UK. He will have it done for me by next week. This is definitely my best Leica bargain. The camera is in beautiful cosmetic condition and looks barely used, in contrast to my R9, which is "well loved". I could do the seals myself but Kelvin will do it better than I can and is very reasonably priced. 

Wilson

 

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Edited April 12, 2019 by wlaidlaw

[thomas_schertel]

I was able to buy this III a on the LH charity auction for 70 €:

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The other items except the tripod have been bought too for few Euros.

yours sincerely 
Thomas

[Leicaiste]

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Best Leica deal was a 1957 black paint rigid Summicron 50 for 125 Euros from the second hand window of a major camera shop.

That shop was located 300 m from the Leica specialist in that town.

😉

Never sold it. It adorns my BP M2. 

[Hello]

Just purchased about 40 individual pieces of NOS boxed and used items like hoods and caps and sundry items for a cool $300. 

[lexontario]

Last summer I was helping the inlaws now in their mid 80's with a garage sale as they would be moving to a apartment condo.

A lady friend of theirs came to help, her husband had passed away about 15 yrs ago. There was an old camera there so she started saying her

 husband had only liked the best  so he had bought all Leica camera equipment. I asked her what she had done with it and she said oh I just gave it

 all away to a friend .  She had no idea of what it was except, just Leica camera equipment.

Hmmm I can only imagine  what  lenses  were in his collection, which were probably bought in the 60's and 70's

So someone out there has got an amazing deal

.

[folke_k]

This happens quite often. There are many items out there, sleeping in some cupboards or garages, waiting.

Often the seller does not know anything about the true value of the lens or camera. I am myself a real hunter, more than collector, out every day on sites like Ebay, or better the german kleinanzeigen. Sometimes you find real treasures there, like a Leicaflex black paint in mint with box and papers, some time later a complete equipment 1 Cam lenses, all boxed with matching red feetscale. Unfortunately i missed a display red velvet box for this equipment at an auction.

The best find was a war time Leica with self timer (you know what i mean, the thing with a D) for the price of an ordinary IIIC. I still can not believe that i have one oft the 427 which were made. I never expected to see one of these and i could really not believe my eyes when i saw it. Guess my heart beating when i asked for the price.

[wlaidlaw]

Quoka.de has an M7 and 50 Summilux III (e46) for sale at a very reasonable price. I already have an M7 and this lens, so not for me but a bit of a bargain. 

Wilson

[Stacey]

A neighbor gave me a Leica IIF red dial today. It needs a CLA but looks mint in a nice leather case and a 50 f3.5 elmar that clean up nice.

[TommyPlouffe]

On 10/11/2018 at 8:10 PM, jaques said:

Purchased a V3 summicron 50 for just $600 off ebay- it was discounted as it had been modified with a focusing lever... Turns out the Focus Lever was a rare prototype leitz addition for the M4 Safari camera- possibly the onyl one ever made- as identified by the forums Luigi from an old Italian Leica collectors magazine from the late 70's that had a picture of my very lens (same serial number) mounted on the safari M4. I have no idea what it might be worth? But I just love that focus lever!

 

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That's an incredible find. Congratulation on that! Would you have a link or a scan of that Leica Collectors Magazine? I'd be interested in reading more about it.

[mickjazz]

Bought  50mm Elmar 5 digit, nickel with a black fison, valoo and caps and leitz filters for $69 on Ebay, 2 days before Christmas last year. 

Entire set of old delft ltm lenses with a well used iiif and a black m2 thrown in for $800 last year. Former pro shooter's cameras from 1980's. 9cm delfar included 

Not leica,  P.angenieux 28mm f3.5 and a 50mm 1.8 (these are absurdly expensive not sure why, tarity i suppose) for $725

But I guess the ultimate: summar tropen on  a grey iiic K. $10 garage sale. 2009 when cameras died. Go figure 

 

[jaques]

7 hours ago, TommyPlouffe said:

That's an incredible find. Congratulation on that! Would you have a link or a scan of that Leica Collectors Magazine? I'd be interested in reading more about it.

I don't have a scan- i was going to get one from Luigi when I can- here is a link to the original discussion with a picture from the magazine:

 

Unusual M3 camera...

 

there is another picture of the same m4 safari camera with my lens on it from the Sortorious collection in this more recent thread:

 

-from-ghester-sartorius-collection

 

if it wasn't for this forum and it's fantastic knowledgeable members there is no way I would have ever discovered the previous history of my unusual lens.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by jaques

[Hello]

Recently, a SCNOO for $20. I think that's pretty good.

Edited July 23, 2019 by Hello

[anthonym3]

My latest great buys are a 3f black dial from a large photo dealer in the U.S. It was described as AS IS NO SHUTTER priced at $119.00. I noticed that it had an after market soft release attached and guessed it was the problem. When it arrived I removed the attachment and VOILA! it works perfectly! It is in great cosmetic condition,rangefinder and viewfinder crystal clear and shutter speeds sound correct,judged by my 57 years shooting LEICA. I recently purchased a 1937 90mm,f4  that appears to be lightly coated,glass clean and clear no haze fungus or cleaning marks for $39.00. My greatest buy however was in 1998.I stopped at a tag sale,asked if there were cameras. The woman running said "Yes an old box camera,let me get it". She returned with a plastic bag and began to pull a leather strap,which was attached to a LEICA camera case. It was a red dial 3f with a 50mm f1.5 SUMMARIT that had no haze fungus or cleaning marks. She said it was her former brother in law's and had been hanging in the closet 40 years.She asked for $25.00. It worked  intermittently  I didn't ask to pay less but she said "OK $15.00" .I would have happily paid much more but was not about to argue. I paid $130.00 for a cla and had a great camera and lens.

[cary]

Picked up a black Leicaflex body last month on eBay. Meter works and clean viewfinder. I will be sending it to DAG soon.

[Shac]

On a visit to my small home town, I went to the local camera store run by a friend Reg, to look for a 50 Elmar.  Reg said they rarely got Leica stuff, but something had just come in. Long story short – I bought an M2, 35  Summicron (V1), 50 DR (w goggles), 90 Elmarit (V1), each with original hoods and Leitz UV filters - and all in LN condition – the total came to all of £1,000. Needless to say I was not really disappointed that I didn't find an Elmar.

Edited August 2, 2020 by Shac

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Hallo,

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[Shac]

PS to the preceding - I should have mentioned this was a purchase made in 2005, but it was still a bargain as the 35mm was going used for around the price I paid for everything