Q on Leica II auction...authentic?

[skip_williams]

I saw this closed auction at "that place" #1379944558 for $480. It says that it's a Leica I to II conversion from 1928, serial number #8234. It looks suspicious to me. Were any cameras made in chrome that early? I thought that they were all black. And even if it was upgraded from a I to a II, I didn't think that they did refinishing of the black paint to chrome. Was that service offered? And the

 

And are the four + two screws correct on the baseplate?

 

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Skip

[adam_lang1]

The seller has removed the pictures. Did you save them?

[skip_williams]

No, the pictures are still there. Look here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=1379944558. But I've got the pictures if they are removed.

[dale_griffith]

It's an interesting little beast. The Feds and Krasnagorsks (Zenits) I've seen have squared-off front viewfinder windows. This one is L-shaped like a Leica II. OTOH a factory conversion from a black fixed lens non-rangefinder Leica 1(A) to a chrome interchangeable lens rangefinder II(D) seems pretty far-fetched. I've actually bought several cameras from this seller on E-bay, including a couple of Russian Leica copies. In my dealings with him he has been accurate and honest in his descriptions, so I think he REALLY believes this is a conversion. It's also been my experience that it's pretty easy to tell a Russian copy from a Leica when you actually have it in your hands, but I certainly wouldn't have risked $500 on this camera without handling it or having rock solid return privileges from a trusted seller. Maybe someone else can shed more light on this camera.

[adam_lang1]

If an early A were sent to Leitz for upgrade to II in the 1930's it might have been less expensive for them to just slap the old serial number on a new body than upgrade the old. This one lacks the viewport in the back that an original 8k camera would have had.