Cameras/Leica Cameras
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Question
My father recently passed away. Now my mother would like to sell the cameras which my father had purchased over time from auctions. He has at least 20 military Leicas, various models. I am not sure the best way to sell these and I thought maybe you could recommend someone in the Va area that I could contact.
Hello Mitzi,
I took an extra day to give this inquiry some serious thought. To be honest, I'm skeptical. Most collectors of Leica cameras consider themselves lucky when they acquire just one good example of a true military version. When you stated that your father had at least 20, I immediately had to assume he was actually buying Russian counterfeits! There are thousands out there, they're cheap yet colorful, many people collect them as interesting curiosities, and you can find dozens of them on eBay every week clearly described as fakes from the USSR. However, if I'm wrong, if your father did collect genuine military Leicas and he did manage to accumulate 20 or more, then your mother has thousands of dollars there, and you do need help in selling them properly! What you need to do is contact me directly at <silver@photographyhistory.com>, forward this exchange in the message, and send me some small JPEG digital images of several of the cameras so I can see if they're genuine. Once we know what you really have, I'll give you whatever help you need from there. I look forward to hearing from you!
Best wishes,
David Silver
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David Silver
Expertise
I'm an expert on all types of antique, classic, and contemporary cameras, as well as the general history of photography. Everything from ancient box cameras to modern single-lens-reflex; from simple Kodaks to sophisticated Leica and Nikon; from glass plates and roll film to movie and 35mm. I can identify and appraise them, explain how they work, and offer insights on their restoration and care. I can also provide historical background on vintage cameras and equipment, and guidelines on their purchase and sale.
Experience
I've been a professional photographer and a student of the history of photography for nearly 30 years. During that time my collection of vintage cameras and photographic paraphernalia has grown beyond 2000 significant pieces. I've published nearly 70 articles in the field, including 16 in the popular "Buying Classic Cameras" series for PHOTO SHOPPER MAGAZINE from 1995 to 1997, I'm currently a contributing editor for CAMERA SHOPPER MAGAZINE and McKEOWN'S PRICE GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAMERAS, and I've written numerous entries for WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA. Portions of my collection have been displayed in museums and special exhibits in the past two decades, and many of the items were photographed as illustrations for books. In 1985 I founded the International Photographic Historical Organization (InPHO), which eventually evolved into its intended purpose as the best first resource for information on the history of photography. I'm also a founding member of several e-mail forums dedicated to specialized areas of photography, and I'm the moderator of the Internet Directory of Camera Collectors (IDCC), which remains the largest and most successful such group in the world. For more information about the International Photographic Historical Organization and its many services, please visit its web pages at:
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