Expert: David Silver - 6/3/2011

Question
Hi, David, thanks for sharing your expertise.  My brother and I have just inherited our mother's cameras:  a Leica (serial number 685908) and a Nikon (serial number 6300071).  Both have been encased in the kind of leather case that screws on through what I suppose would be a tripod screw at the bottom of the camera, so the bodies appear to be in very good condition.  The Leica is without a lens but does have two contemporaneous instruction booklets, a warranty, and a warranty for the missing lens.  Could you give me an idea of when these cameras were made, what they might be worth today, and how we might sell them?

Thank you so much.

Answer

Hello Elizabeth,

A black dial version of the Leica IIIf from 1952.  Extremely common.  Over 180,000 sold from 1950 to 1957.  Very difficult to sell these days without a lens.  In truly excellent condition, it should bring about $250.

A Nikon S2 from 1957.  Also fairly common, with over 56,000 sold from 1954 to 1958.  In truly excellent condition with a proper matching Nikkor 5cm normal lens, these tend to sell for around $500, and minty examples can reach $600.

You could rush these off to eBay, but unless you're well established in the vintage camera market, you'll have a lot of grief, and eBay can often be a snake pit anyway.  I could recommend some honest collectors and historians for you to contact on your own.  However, I see you're in California, and so am I.  The simplest way for you to maximize the value on the gear is for me to broker the sales for you myself.  Send a message to me at the e-mail address below, include a couple of small digital images of the cameras so I can assess overall condition (and make sure to tell me what lens is on the Nikon), and I'll get back to you with further ideas and opinions...

Best wishes,

David F. Silver - President
International Photographic Historical Organization

silver@photographyhistory.com