Selling Leica lenses

[hydet]

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Here is a question I've been thinking about lately.  At this point in my life, I'm down to a handful of lenses and cameras that I use regularly, depending on the project.  I have quite a few nice Leica M lenses that are gathering dust. For example, do I really need a dozen or so 50mm M-mount lenses?  I've only used 3 of them in the past couple of years.   Two things have restrained me from selling some of these:  1) the old admonition never to sell Leica glass!  (including the possibility that I'll need that particular lens at some point in the future) and 2) they are really an investment, so just keep them as an asset to sell in a few years when I might need the money.  I'm wondering if #2 is really valid any longer.  Leica seems to have bulked up their production facilities in recent years.  Are M lenses really appreciating at even the rate of inflation?  Prices are increasing, but maybe not as much as, say, ten or fifteen years ago.  

[pedaes]

Leica lenses may depreciate less than other makes, but they are not an investment. i also see relatively young lenses being advertised with 'light haze', so they are constantly degrading.

The commercial approach to a asset that is not used would be to 'get rid'. but we are talking emotion here, and you can only sell once. You ask a question that you know the answer too, so only sell when you are 100% sure.

[luigi bertolotti]

The example you illustrate (a dozen or so of 50mm) is a good one to elaborate on your doubts :

- Value in future : Leica lenses do keep a value, no doubt, but it would be completely vane to think that a good modern 50mm (say, a Summicron IV, a not so old Summilux preasph... even a Noctlux f1) will increase in inflation-adjusted market price : if you compare the prices of the last 20 years for items like the rigid Summicron of '50s/'60s you can easily verify that, for normal used items it has not beaten inflation ; they used to be user items the same way as within 20-30 years will be my Summilux 50 asph.

- Collecting is another matter, me too have a number of 50s... 😉 but I like to have an Elmar 11 o'clock, a Red Scale or even two (different of course ☺️), a late 3,5 BM etc...  not to speak of my 6 Summaron 35 3,5... BUT : my user 35 is 90% the Summicron Asph (Summilux 10%) and for 50, a Summilus Asph or an Elmar M (and sold the Summicron IV for practical redundancy). When one loves his collectibles, the problem of value keeping / investing protection is irrilevant : I am simply confident that they will never go to no value (and,  I am aware that probably some of my Elmar 90 f4 do have today a value less than what I paid 30-35 years ago even if I do not remember exactly how much I paid)

- And then there are the high valued / rare collectibles, and this is such a fluctuating market (time to time, you see items that become "hot" and then decline) that is impossible to make any serious prediction... is anyway a financially risky business. This applies also to the recent "precious" items listed by Leica and made in few numbers : what will happen to a Summicron 50 Apo Asph in Red version ? to the  Thambar re-edition? I have the feel (just a feel, being un intersted to) that some fo such items are offered, nowadays, at prices inferior to the price declared at announcement... 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by luigi bertolotti

[la1402]

I would always advise sell lenses you don’t use. Any ETF is a better investment, lenses are more speculation. But I would not sell NOW. Globally, the economy is in a downturn, many companies cut jobs and consumer confidence is low. You see that at the Leica market used prices which seem to rather go down in the moment. Analysts expectations are for an overall market rebound in the second half of 2024. So if anything, now is the time to buy.

[jaeger]

These are high value commodities, for the same reason, I avoid high commissions & fees thus I use craigslist take cash at police station + bill of sales.  Doing so, you will get many scam email but use your intelligent to filter them.