la1402 Posted July 23 Share #1  Posted July 23 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all knowledgeable people, today I was offered something I have not seen, a complete set in a original case from ca 1940, with Leica IIIb Elmar 3.5cm/50 Hektor 28mm/6.3 Xxx 90mm/4.0 Finder ( not sure which) external Rangefinder (why?) One shade. Things look to be in a very good shape, I could not see any fungus in the lenses. What do you think this should be worth ? There is no garantuee and the seller wants 2.000€. At first glance this looks a bit high to me as nothing in the kit seems to be really rare, but then the completeness of the kit with the original case may add some value? I am on the fence as I probably will only watch and rarely use it, but if it’s a safe investment that I can sell later I may do so anyway.  Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/423259-value-of-leica-iiib-kit/?do=findComment&comment=5837708'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 23 Posted July 23 Hi la1402, Take a look here Value of Leica IIIb kit. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
willeica Posted July 23 Share #2  Posted July 23 6 minutes ago, la1402 said: Hi all knowledgeable people, today I was offered something I have not seen, a complete set in a original case from ca 1940, with Leica IIIb Elmar 3.5cm/50 Hektor 28mm/6.3 Xxx 90mm/4.0 Finder ( not sure which) external Rangefinder (why?) One shade. Things look to be in a very good shape, I could not see any fungus in the lenses. What do you think this should be worth ? There is no garantuee and the seller wants 2.000€. At first glance this looks a bit high to me as nothing in the kit seems to be really rare, but then the completeness of the kit with the original case may add some value? I am on the fence as I probably will only watch and rarely use it, but if it’s a safe investment that I can sell later I may do so anyway.  Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! For obvious reasons we don't give valuations here, but you may find the following useful https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Leitz/ https://collectiblend.com/Lenses/Leitz/ William 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted July 23 Share #3 Â Posted July 23 The "external Rangefinder" looks like it's really a WINTU right-angle finder: https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/WINTU Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
la1402 Posted July 23 Author Share #4 Â Posted July 23 Thank you. I understand that asking for a value may be wrong. But to me secondary question - is it a significant difference in market value to have this in a set complete with such a leather case? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted July 23 Share #5  Posted July 23 1 hour ago, la1402 said: ...is it a significant difference in market value to have this in a set complete with such a leather case? You should ask the "market" about market value. As long as one has not seen the condition of the items shown it is impossible and irresponsible to give any estimate.  2 hours ago, la1402 said: external Rangefinder (why?) To me it looks as if the items were assembled randomly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitroplait Posted July 24 Share #6  Posted July 24 14 hours ago, la1402 said: ...if it’s a safe investment...  "safe investment" does such a thing exist? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpotmaticSP Posted July 24 Share #7 Â Posted July 24 Advertisement (gone after registration) This kit is only worth top dollar if: - All items are provenanced; - All items are working well or have been recently serviced; - Paper items are included such as manuals, sales bills, etc. - All items are mint or near mint. - Some or all items are rare. If none of the above then you could do the math, like I always do: find out the regular price of each item and take 33% of that. And make a sensible offer based on that 33%, explaining why. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted July 24 Share #8 Â Posted July 24 Wouldn't it be more enjoyable, and cheaper, to put a set together yourself? Start with a similar case and fill it with the things that you'd want collect or preferably use yourself. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted July 24 Share #9  Posted July 24 (edited) An 'Advanced search' on eBay might give you some indication of possible sale value. Investment? Hardly!  Consider if a prudent collector would be looking for such a 'set' .... likely answer, "No!"  I knew someone who spent years and a lot of £££ putting together a large assortment of Leica LTM 1939 birth year cameras / lenses / accessories. He eventually realised they were a big liability because he would never be able to sell them as 'sets' due to very limited demand. And the prospect of trying to sell the items individually was too daunting.  Better to consider buying e.g., a Leica M series film camera with service history – for which demand is usually higher.  The one 'in demand' attribute, common to all Leica M cameras from 1954 to the present day , is the superb rangefinder / viewfinder  Edited July 24 by dkCambridgeshire addit. info. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nf3996 Posted July 25 Share #10 Â Posted July 25 20 hours ago, 250swb said: Wouldn't it be more enjoyable, and cheaper, to put a set together yourself? Start with a similar case and fill it with the things that you'd want collect or preferably use yourself. That's just what I've done. I started with a Leica case acquired with various other photographic bits and pieces. I've since filled it with a Leica IIIb and five lenses plus accessories, all from the late 1930s - and I use them too. Alan 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted July 26 Share #11  Posted July 26 The trouble with this one is that it is the wrong body for the case to begin with.  The giveaway is the space for the rangefinder, That would suggest something like a Leica 1A.  Sets only command a significantly higher price if they come with an old invoice for the complete set or similar provenance. And if they are in good condition. Otherwise, it is just a nice-to-have thing. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmans Posted July 31 Share #12  Posted July 31 On 7/26/2025 at 8:37 AM, jaapv said: The trouble with this one is that it is the wrong body for the case to begin with.  The giveaway is the space for the rangefinder, That would suggest something like a Leica 1A.  Sets only command a significantly higher price if they come with an old invoice for the complete set or similar provenance. And if they are in good condition. Otherwise, it is just a nice-to-have thing. This box would not go with the Leica 1A since it does not accept any lens other than the one it came with. So, this box could be for the Leica Standard (E) or Leica Model ii series. But more likely the Standard as it does not have a rangefinder like the Model ii. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted July 31 Share #13  Posted July 31 11 hours ago, lmans said: This box would not go with the Leica 1A since it does not accept any lens other than the one it came with. So, this box could be for the Leica Standard (E) or Leica Model ii series. But more likely the Standard as it does not have a rangefinder like the Model ii. The box doesn't have an accessory rangefinder in it in the photo - it's a WINTU right-angle finder, and so would fit with Leica II and later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willeica Posted July 31 Share #14  Posted July 31 These cases were not sold as part of a kit, but I am sure that some people bought a case along with a camera, lenses and accessories. Such cases started out at around the same time as the I Model C which introduced interchangeable lenses. See my ETGAM case below which I bought with a I Model C and some of this kit inside. The rest of the items that are there are items I already had. That is the whole point of such cases. Looking for 'period appropriate' etc here  s nonsense, but here the camera and the case are from the same era. The most interesting thing about this case is that it came with the original key and the key still works, about 95 years later. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! William Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! William ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/423259-value-of-leica-iiib-kit/?do=findComment&comment=5841368'>More sharing options...
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