Factory Error or Later Conversion/Repaint?

[theplanets]

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Hello everyone,

I recently acquired this IIIc, which came with an interesting note attached (see picture). I did some investigation but can use your expert eyes and opinions.
Observances so far:

• s/n 149605 with nickel fittings
• Camera is in black paint
• Doesn't appear to be a fake. Matches my other later IIIc's in overall design and worksmanship.
• "0" at 12 o'clock and a notch at 9 o'clock of the DOF (indicating factory conversion?)
• Leica records from multiple sources all show serials 149551-15000 as "III Chrome" built in 1935

What do you think? Is this A) a later repaint into black, b) a later conversion by factory or user, c) factory record error, d) something else?

Thank you.

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[luigi bertolotti]

Welcome to the Forum ?

Sorry, I am not one of the REAL experts here ( and there are several), but happens to be the first to answer...  and my natural reaction is : why do you speak about IIIC ? All first sight details say this is a  Leica III (aka "model F"), and production data say that this batch included also Black items :

https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php?title=Leica_III_(model_F)

Edited 20 hours ago by luigi bertolotti

[jerzy]

camera is listed as black (schwarz) in the best source (Band I/Hahne list). Has been repainted, not very nice. Two screws are missing

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[pedaes]

28 minutes ago, luigi bertolotti said:

I am not one of the REAL experts here

You are much too modest and very real!

[theplanets]

2 hours ago, luigi bertolotti said:

Welcome to the Forum ?

Sorry, I am not one of the REAL experts here ( and there are several), but happens to be the first to answer...  and my natural reaction is : why do you speak about IIIC ? All first sight details say this is a  Leica III (aka "model F"), and production data say that this batch included also Black items :

https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php?title=Leica_III_(model_F)

Thanks for the welcome and the link! You are right, I'm not sure where I got the "IIIc" from and it was stuck in my head.

[theplanets]

2 hours ago, jerzy said:

camera is listed as black (schwarz) in the best source (Band I/Hahne list). Has been repainted, not very nice. Two screws are missing

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Thank you for this! Mystery solved.

[willeica]

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The Leica Red Pocket Book 9th Edition shows this batch as being chrome, but it is obviously wrong, certainly in the case of this camera. Leica serial number records are only a starting point and are not written on tablets of stone. The tag with 'rare error' is confusing. The best indicator is the nickel furniture which not have been on a chrome camera. The round rangefinder cam also indicates that this is not a Soviet copy. 

William 

[jaapv]

I would guess that this label was attached by a shop selling the camera used  sometime in the past. If it were a factory one it would have been in German (and less legible handwriting 😉)

[SpotmaticSP]

Honest question for the forum experts: why is the serial number Wiki of this forum (!) not updated with the correct info then? There's no point to not have it corrected, now that we know that the list is partially incorrect.
https://wiki.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Serial_Numbers_Leica_Cameras

(Sorry, as an amateur archivist I honestly believe in free information. Especially the information that came from obscure, impossible-to-get, publications should be more accessible. It's not right that only a select few have all the information at hand. 😉 )