a little camera history

[finnegan]

<p>No not a camera, but a note from Seller I bought a 1955 Leica M3 with Summicron 50 from on Ebay.<br>

The camera and lens looked very good and the Seller stated that he had bought this from a friend 15 yrs ago or maybe more, hadn't used it but put it in storage and had carefully checked the camera out, specifying how, before selling.<br>

Today I got this message from him, with info on the camera/lens being sent. But with much more:</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p><strong>"Dear xxxx,</strong><br>

<strong>Hi Jerry: It is shipped Priority insured. You will have to sign for it. Tracking number xxx US. You should get it by Thursday. A little history: This camera was bought new by Carl xxxxx around 1956. Carl had a gun store on Whitesbridge Ave here in Fresno for 35 years. He was raised in San Francisco, and worked at the St Francis Hotel as a bartender before WW2. He was also a boxer, and made a little money doing it in San Francisco. He was the cutest guy as an adult, but showed me a picture of him at age 19 in boxing stance. I told him I probably wouldn't have liked him at 19. He was a tough little pug. He was always interested in boxing, and took pictures of up and coming fighters at a ring downtown here in Fresno. </strong><br>

<strong>He was at the Battle of the Bulge, and loved to talk about Captain Carrey, his commanding officer. He won a Silver Star at the Bulge, and a x-Highway Patrolman friend of mine got it, along with the certificate. </strong><br>

<strong>I bought this camera from him about a year before he died. I miss him, and probably would not have sold his camera, but I am getting old, and don't want relatives to sell some of the items I have for nothing. When I first got this camera, the owner of Modesto Camera Exchange told me it was worth 2k. If for any reason you don't like it, you may return it to me for a full refund. Best regards, xxxxx"</strong><br>

And this was my reply:<br>

"XXXXX<br /><br />That is a fascinating story. Knowing it I will use it in your and your friends gift to you in his memory and honor from the battlefields of WWII. It's so nice to have something imbued with the past, cameras now are out of date after 4 years, and left to be cleaned out in some future year and tossed out like garbage. So is everything else.<br /><br />I also am older, and remember common things from my youth, a vacuum cleaner, the early TV, nothing plastic, it was pre-plastic. Things really had weight and heft and were metal - and lasted years and years. Workmen came over to fix things and give them decades more use. The history of common things around us is gone, it's all impersonal, disposable. <br /><br />One of the reasons I wanted an older Leica was all this. They go on and on, still take wonderful images and have passed through many hands. Some of my guns I still use at the range have the same past, nicks and scratches from use, my old Colt Detective with an agency's initials and a number, and officer's number, an actual Detective's gun. Who knows who he was and what he did with this. The gun is from '64, shortly after JFK's assassination. I remember it like yesterday.<br /><br />So thank so much for sharing your camera's history. If all goes well and I use it for all my days I will make sure I, like you, give it to someone who appreciates it and who will keep it well used and in top shape.<br /><br />I also thank you so much for your offer of a return, but can't imagine doing that from what you wrote and who you are, an honest person.<br /><br />Best<br />Jerry"<br>

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> Not your usual impersonal business transaction, hey?</p>

<p>Best<br>

Jerry ("Wm Hutt")<br>

<em> </em></p>

</blockquote>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Nice to know the provenance of your gear. So few do outside of family-owned cameras. I hope it adds to your enjoyment. </p>

[finnegan]

<p>I'm sure it will. Thanks...</p>

[savagesax]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing the story!

[mukul_dube]

<p>Always a pleasure unexpectedly to meet a friendly person.</p>

[finnegan]

<p> Yes, he seems a very friendly person indeed and I love his story...</p>