Your BEST Leitz Leica bargain or find?

I imagine there are several Leica users who may not have invested any time into "treasure-hunting" used (previously

owned) Leica gear and have only purchased brand new equipment from an authorized Leica dealer. For those of you

however who have sought to collect vintage and used items, whether it be at estate sales, fle-markets, thrift shops,

online auctions, or camera shows, I'm curious as to what your best finds may have been? What brings this to mind

is that I've witnessed on more than one occassion where people who have sold Leitz-Leica gear (however they may

have originally come into their possession?) didn't know what they had and undersold it. Such events are to be rare

of course, but I imagine they occur somewhere every day. Your "lucky-finds" don't necessarily have to be Leica gear

only, but please try to limit responses to classic cameras of rare make. While even today, I never pass on buying a

good AE-1 or F3 when practically being given away when sold, such a find is no longer uncommon in a world where

most households regard film as dead. However, similarly finding a good Leica, Kardon, Leicaflex, Rollei, Contax, etc.

would still be a rare event and worthy tell.

correction: (however they may have originally come into possession it?)

M4 Black Paint, near mint, original factory wax seal, mint 50 Elmar, working Black MR Meter, 850.00. Needed a shutter

tuneup. The other was a Chrome M4, 35mm Summicron with shade, chrome MR meter, same price.

While on vacation, 20-25 years ago, Wolf Camera in Charleston was selling off some remaining Leica stock, where I found

a new 135mm Tele-Elmar (1975 to 1980 period) complete with shade, caps and bubble, for $285. At the time this was quite

a bit less than the new price. Sold it 10 years later for $700 (to a used camera dealer at a show), but enjoyed its extra

reach (if small VF image) for several years.

M2 R + 50 DR almost mint for $1200.

 

Very nice M3 + factory fresh 50 Rigid for $500 range, don`t remember exactly.

 

Both were early 1980 purchases, but look what has happened since. They are still in the condition I purchased them in.

 

The 50 Rigid mint I have seen for $2000. Mint DR $600 Nice M2R several thousand. Fully functional very nice M3`s for $1000+.

 

I don`t keep up with pricing, so if I am off some, it`s ok. They are worth lots more than I paid. They were not $25 garage sale specials though.

Summitar, wartime coated, immaculate glass, $79, eBay. Only bidder.

M3 with Summarit for free

>>>>Arthur Plumpton , Oct 24, 2008; 08:35 a.m.

While on vacation, 20-25 years ago, Wolf Camera in Charleston was selling off some remaining Leica stock, where I found a new 135mm Tele-Elmar (1975 to 1980 period) complete with shade, caps and bubble, for $285. At the time this was quite a bit less than the new price. Sold it 10 years later for $700 (to a used camera dealer at a show), but enjoyed its extra reach (if small VF image) for several years.<<<

 

Roy Moss may get most of the remaining stock.

Perfect M3 with collapsible summicron, 250$ in about 1985. I am still using it, never needed a tune up.

A first generation 90mm summicron and a 135 elmar both for 350$ at an estate auction in Maine in 2006, at the same time I got a very nice 111f with a clean summarit 1.5 for 450$. I also picked up a pair of 135 hektors for 25$ and recently a DR summicron (no eyes) for 295. Also 35mm summaron 3.5 from a friend for 250--a wonderful, wonderful lens (no eyes, just guess on the M3 or 111f.

I traded a couple of prints (free samples from the lab) for a Leicaflex. I was given an R4 that needed new light seals on the condition that it stays in my family. I repaired the R4's light seals and my nephew is using the camera now.

90mm Elmar for M series with original caps $50 on Ebay.

i stumbled across a junk shop in the middle-of-nowhere, and picked up a mint leitz valoy enlarger [1920s] for £5. recently,

my best buy has been a mint 90 summicron-r [1978] for £250 [ebay, only bidder]. non-leica-wise, i also picked up a mamiya

tlr kit [c220, c330, 3 lenses] for £50 from my local classifieds paper.

A friend gave me a 90mm LTM Elmar. No spectacular deals but bought a few Leica items for less than prevalent prices. My kids have received free: a working SRT-101, working Nikon FTN, and a trashed F3. An acquaintance gave me an AE-1 which I don't use.

Bought a Leica M3 pre model from the Leica factory in Wetzlar many years ago for a couple hundred bucks.

Still had the original receipt too.

See Jim Lager's book if you don't know what an M3 pre-model is.

Sold it for tens of thousands!

CG

M3 DS with 50mm Summarit 1.5 in never ready case and Telyt 400mm 5.6 in box with visoflex 1 for $300.00 in the late 80s.

All in absolutely like new condition.

 

Chad

Not as sceptacular as some of these, but maybe more recent: a 35mm 'cron ASPH as new for $850 and a last gen. pre-ASPH chrome 50 'lux $1,000 brand new with passport warranty (both in 2004).

2nd version tri-elmar for $1800 on eBay. One of the best lenses ever. Ever ever.

Very fine condition Focomat II-C with two lenses (Focotar 60 and 100 mm V-Elmar), with used timer and excellent condition

large Leitz easel for about $1250 (I paid $1500 CAN) in the late 90s. Have since upgraded the 100mm lens to a Focotar-2 (Schneider-

Kreuznach) lens. I would never have considered this equipment if I had not been lucky to find a relatively good bargain.

I would say that all my Leitz purchases have been bargains, because the other camera brands lose value, and my retirement portfolio has lost 40% in value this year alone. Some of the Leitz purchases have increased in value, does that qualify as a bargain?

I worked at the old Camera Barn stores in NYC. A regular customer gave me a Leica lllc with a 50 Summitar as a gift.

It used to be the Leica IIIf with coated Elmar in a Brown Grocery Bag at a camera store labeled "Camera Grab Bag, $50".

 

But the Leica IIIa with Summar and Black Leica III with Elmar, all for $30 at a local throift store, has that beat. Even better than the Nikon M with 5cm F1.4 for $30.

About 9 months ago, I was looking through the completed auctions on eBay. I saw a closed auction for a Leica M4 black pain bodyt, which was heavily worn (brassed.) The owner obviously didn't know what they had in their possession when they listed as an "old, worn Leica camera that could use some work." Someone has used the 'Buy It Now' option for $350.

It has to be...

 

an Leica M4-MOT with a...

 

Elcan 66/2 Summicron for much, much less than $20,000.00.

 

An amazing lens.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not the owner.

 

Johnny

i picked up a black paint M3 with a b/p rigid 50(plus three other lenses and a big bag of vintage finders, meters, etc) last year for $2100.

 

recently i bought a 35mm summicron asph for $900.

 

just bought an m7 for $1600.

 

deals are out there, i guess i've been in the right place at the right time...

 

bob

Mint condition original M6 with black Wetzlar 50 f2 Summicron also including a Slik ballhead on a Bogen superclamp in a pawn shop in San Antonio in 1987 for $750. Camera had been sitting in the middle of a bunch of Yashicas, Konicas, etc. for several months. A friend told me about it and I tried to persuade him to buy it(I already had an M6 with 35 Summicron) but he, an older gentleman said he was only looking for an M2! I finally decided to go see for myself some weeks later and it was still there marked $895. Needless to say after seeing it, I talked the owner down to the above and he threw in the ballhead and clamp.

 

Later traded the body for a 75-200mm f4.5 Leica-R and 21mm f4 Super Angulon-R. Still have the 50 Summicron!