Expert: David Silver - 3/5/2008

Question
Hello David I am the Photography teacher at Treloar college
One of my collegues has a Leica that belonged to her father and has asked if i know anything about it.
I am not having much luck - hope you can help.
It has interchangeable lense. It is black with Leica DRP Ernst Leitz Wetzlar  No 680 written on the top. Leitz Elmax 1:35 F 50mm Lens

Answer
Hello Kenneth,

I needed a few days to research the serial number and determine that it was not a counterfeit, and it now appears to be real!  To explain...

What your colleague has there is a Leica I(A), the first successful compact 35mm camera model produced by Leitz of Germany.  It was quite popular, and they sold over 58,000 of them between 1925 and 1932.  A typical example in truly excellent overall condition normally sells in the $700-$900 range.  However, there is an important exception to this generality.  Examples of the Leica I(A) with three-digit serial numbers (ie. they started production at #100, so the first 900 that they made) are not only much harder to find, they are also MUCH more valuable.  A truly excellent example with a serial number like 680 can bring closer to $3000!  Due to this increased value, there is a cottage industry of Russian counterfeiters who have been making fake three-digit Leica cameras for many years, and that is why I took a couple days to find out if 680 was one of the known numbers being used for counterfeits.  It appears to be a "good" number!

Now the issue with an early Leica I(A) is the historical significance.  They are becoming rare, and they are easily damaged through neglect and mishandling, so such a camera would be much better served in the hands of an appropriate collector or historian who would properly preserve and appreciate it.  Therefore I suggest your colleague's next best step would be to send a few small JPEG digital images of the camera to me at <silver@well.com> so I can make a more precise evaluation of its condition, authenticity, and value.  Then I can make recommendations for several qualified historians your colleague can contact directly for a relaxed and hassle-free transaction.  I'd love to acquire the camera myself for my organization's collection, but I'm afraid we simply don't have the funds available right now.

I look forward to hearing directly from you and/or your colleague!

Best wishes,

David Silver