You probably can’t afford this rare Leica 0-Series prototype, but you can admire the camera before it goes up for auction

Classic vintage Leica cameras are known for fetching large sums at auctions – and a camera from the same series that broke records for the most expensive camera ever sold is slated for auction this summer. The Leica 0-Series No. 112, a prototype to the Leica I series first produced in 1925, will be on display beginning in April before going up for auction on June 27.

The Leica 0-Series No. 112 comes from the same prototype series as the Leica 0-Series No. 105, a camera that broke the record for the most expensive camera ever sold in 2020 when it fetched €14.4 million, which was roughly $15m / £12.4m / AU$21.7m. While the last three 0-series cameras that came to auction sold for more than €2 million (about $2.15m / £1.67m / AU$3.4m), the No. 105 still holds the record, which it snatched from another Leica 0-series camera, the No. 122 that sold for €2.4 million in 2018.

One of the reasons the No. 105 sold for a much higher sum is that it was owned by the legendary camera designer Oskar Barnack, whose name was also engraved on the camera. Leica notes that the No. 112 was "personally accepted by" Barnack, who was the head of the test department at the time.

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The Leica 0-Series is a line of prototype cameras that eventually led to the Leica I, a camera first produced in 1925 that is often considered one of the first 35mm format cameras. To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Leica I, the prototype Leica 0-Series No. 112 will be on display at the Leica Store in Milan, Italy, beginning on April 04 before the camera goes up for auction at the end of June from the Leitz Photographica Auction. Leica notes that the display is the first time that the No. 112 has been available for public viewing.

While the No. 112 is already confirmed to be part of the auction, the Leica Photographica Auction is expected to share the full catalog of auction items in May.

Leica is planning a number of events celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Leica I. The company says that it is planning international events in Dubai, Milan, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo this year. The year-long celebration will include “exclusive special product editions,” the company says, with the biggest part of the celebration expected in June at the Leica headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany.

The Leica Camera Classics store, which specializes in vintage cameras and has more than 1,500 on display – hosts the Leitz Photographica Auction twice a year in June and November.

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