Leica M2 Appraisal

<p>Hey guys,<br /> I found this antique at a store, and I was wondering if you could guys help give me an appraisal? It's a Leica M2 with an extra battery and this lens. The photos can be found here:</p>

<p>http://www.photobucket.com/M2_Leica<br>

Thank you experts very much!</p>

<p>Can you see through the round finder on the back left of the camera? I don't think so -- I think it has no viewfinder as it was a "scientific" camera. Since a viewfinder costs about $500 as a spare part, and the camera isn't pretty, I think the camera proper has little value.<br>

The motor drive (what you call the battery) is probably more valuable than the camera, although they aren't in great demand.<br>

On the front of the camera is a reflex microscope attachment with shutter. Maybe a couple of hundred dollars to a collector.</p>

<p>The micro adapter is worth something I'm sure to a collector. The camera's worth would be based around it's cosmetics and it's operating condition. An average M2 runs around $600-800. A perfect specimen is worth around double this.</p>

<p>Thank you very much John and Steve for your expertise and time.<br /> When I looked through the round finder, I could see a part of what I was aiming at, except it was a small rectangle within a large bordered rectangle enclosing it (the border being transparent and showing the image as well).<br /> A pawn shop offered $300 CAD for it, do you think it is a good deal?</p>

<p>Go to KEH .com or ebay and check prices. $300 CAD sounds low.</p>

<p>Hi Howard<br>

Certainly not the usual M2. What is the asking price? It's quite old and obviously very bulky: not really a street shooter's outfit. Oh, did you know, it is a camera needing film, and a meter, and knowledge of physics theory and math? So, if you don't like it, just send me the store adress through E-mail. Thanks! =;-)</p>

<p>How did you find out that a pawn shop would pay 300 CAD if it's still lying around in an antique shop?!?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>When I looked through the round finder, I could see a part of what I was aiming at, except it was a small rectangle within a large bordered rectangle enclosing it (the border being transparent and showing the image as well).</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sounds like the rangefinder prism is separated. Expensive repair.</p>

<p>K.</p>

<p>Isn't that one heck of a serious dent by the rewind lever?</p>

<p>Your easiest way to recover value is to send it to KEH.com, who are the largest used camera dealer in the world. You'll get about 60% of what you could get through an eBay sale by a seller with a good reputation. On the other hand, KEH.com will sell it for twice what they will pay you -- but that's always been the case with used camera dealers.</p>

<p>Looks like a 1966 M2 with battery winder and reflex attachment. I'd pay $300 all day long</p>

<p>. . .rather a microscope attachment.</p>

About that dent on left side, does the film rewind knob turn freely, and is the viewfinder and rangefinder affected by the

knock the camera received?

<p>If that is indeed a dent, then any consideration for the camera should end now - don't touch it at any price!</p>

<p>Quite a bunch of “expert” opinions! Yes the camera is an M2, a completely normal M2 which could be used for normal photography EXCEPT that it doesn’t have a lens (not hard to find one in Leica bayonet fitting) OR a normal baseplate to fit on the bottom of the camera to allow it to be used without the motor. There really aren’t many spare baseplates around and I would guess someone would ask $150 or more.<br>

There is the dent by the rewind knob, obviously the camera has been used in a lab and not cherished in any way, hence the code scrawled on the back (is it nail varnish? Will it come off with acetone?). This affects the value considerably, as aside from the code and the dent, the camera is quite clean. As it is it would have to be graded Exc (obvious signs of use), as others have said value around US$300 (with baseplate, $200 or less without) on the assumption that it needs servicing – there is quite a good demand for user-grade Leicas. The motor might be worth $50 if it works, the microscope attachment is more interesting to a dedicated collector but again would probably struggle to make more than $50.</p>

 

<p>Baseplate looks like this:<br>

http://www.kenmorecamera.com/p-17526-used-leica-m-baseplate.aspx<br>

Prices seem to vary - this one is quite cheap!</p>

<p>Postscript - the dent is exceedingly unlikely to have wrecked the camera completely but may cause the rewind knob to operate roughly (easy to check) or as someone said already may have knocked the viewfinder/rangefinder out of alignment. Almost certainly no parts are broken - a good repairman can remove the top plate, press out the dent, hopefully so that it is invisible but probably leaving a slight ripple in the metal where it was stretched, and can also re-align the viewfinder/rangefinder. The camera is not a special model with no viewfinder for scientific purposes, this would be a Leica MD. For photomicroscopy, Leicas have the big plus of very low vibration but the big minus of no built-in meter. The photomicroscopy attachment would work great with a Voigtlander camera with a meter.</p>

<p>Can't say anything about market value, but like David I think that this is an ordinary M2. Can't see any light in the finder from front or back, but the OP says he can see what sounds like the usual view: R/F spot surrounded by frame lines. The impact was probably on the rewind knob, which was forced into the top plate.</p>

"The motor might be worth $50 if it works"

 

...uh...maybe you should go to ebay and look at "Leica New York Motor" to see that the above figure might be off by a

factor of.....40 to 60?

 

Also, if this were a "real" Leica M2-M, the combo with motor could be worth quite a bit. But the camera looks to have been

modified.

 

At any rate...do a bit more research on this first!

<p><em>"The motor might be worth $50 if it works" ...uh...maybe you should go to ebay and look at "Leica New York Motor" to see that the above figure might be off by a factor of.....40 to 60? Also, if this were a "real" Leica M2-M, the combo with motor could be worth quite a bit. But the camera looks to have been modified. At any rate...do a bit more research on this first!</em><br>

You got me there! It just goes to show, no matter how much anyone (like me) thinks they know about Leica, there's always some item that will catch you out! This camera must be among the "small number of early examples [which] were converted to take an electric motor drive designed by Norman Goldberg" (to quote Denis Laney's book). Later they produced a batch, designated M2-M. Also your camera has a number later than 1004151, which was apparently the point at which most M2 cameras were fitted with a self-timer. As John says, you may find a collector willing to pay big bucks, on the principle of Leica collecting that value depends on rarity and condition - no one today would ever buy this awkward and heavy rig to actually use to take pictures.</p>

<p>STOP! Email Stan Tamarkin of Tamarkin Camera in Woodbridge CT.!</p>

<p>The Motor alone may be worth big bucks! A small fix to the top plate, and check & adjust the rangefinder and what you have their has serious collector value! I just checked ebay and saw a similar unit (without the microscope adapter, in mint- condition) going for 4,000 Euros!</p>

<p>That Pawn Shop guy is a theif so STAY AWAY!</p>

<p>Stan will give you a fair estimate and maybe an offer for thousands (if indeed it's a real M2-M)</p>

<p>PASS if you're not certain what your looking at or unless you have money to throw away. M2 are common cameras, not always liked due to its difficult to load film set up. $600+/- going rate for a workable M2, not this one.</p>

<p>Paul,</p>

<p>What about the NY Motor that comes with it?</p>

<p>I still feel that since this was a unit the operated together and no base plate is readily avaialble, it might be a M-2-M and therefore worth some considerable bucks.</p>

<p>What harm would there be to send it to a world-renown Leicaphile for a no-obligation expert opinion??</p>

<p><em>I still feel that since this was a unit the operated together and no base plate is readily available, it might be a M-2-M and therefore worth some considerable bucks.</em><br>

According to Denis Laney's book "Leica Collector's Guide" M2-M models are marked as such. As far as I can see, this camera has been modified by Leitz New York to accept a third-party motor made by Norman Goldberg. Again as I said, the value of this item for 99.99% of photographers is fairly low, but for collectors the equation value = condition x rarity applies, here the condition seems to be quite good apart from a painted code and stickers that may or may not come off, the rarity is extremely high, so value is a question of whether you can bring this item to the attention of the small number of collectors who would be interested and get at least two of them to bid against each other to the death! Agree - having a word with a world-renown Leicaphile would be a good idea!</p>