$400,000 Leica goes under the hammer

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Three rare Leicas are up for sale in June – but if you want all of them you are likely to need over a million bucks!

Leica 250 Reporter GG with a Leica-Motor MOOEV
(Image credit: Leitz Photographica)

A collection of rare Leica cameras is being auctioned on June 8 in Germany. The star lots in the sale at Leitz Photographica Auction are three 35mm film cameras that have an estimated hammer price of between $300,000 to $500,000 a piece. So if you are thinking of getting all three, you are going to have to be prepared to fork out over a million dollars.

Mind you, these cameras are unlikely to break any records. Last year, the auction house, formerly known as WestLicht Photographica, sold a rare example of the Leica 0-Series produced in 1923 was for 2.4 million euros  (equivalent to more than £2.1m/$2.9m) and which is still the highest price ever paid for a camera sold by auction.

• Best Leica cameras in 2019

Leica MP-2 - estimate €400,000–500,000

Leica MP-2 - estimate €400,000–500,000 (Image credit: Leitz Photographica)

The highest value item in the sale will be a Leica MP-2 which has an estimated hammer price of €400,000–500,000 euros ($450,000-$560,000 or £345,000- £432,000)

Produced in the late 1950s, this is the first M camera with an electric motor drive, produced in the late 1950s. It is considered to be one of the rarest and most unusual M cameras ever to have been offered for sale by auction.

Leica M3 - estimate €300,000–300,000

Leica M3 - estimate €300,000–300,000 (Image credit: Leitz Photographica)

Also featured in the sale is a Leica M3, with the serial number 700005. This is the fifth Leica M camera ever made, and is probably in the best condition of any early camera of the series. This lot has an estimate of  €300,000-400,000 ($335,000-$450,000 or £260,000-£345,000.

Leica 250 Reporter GG with a Leica-Motor MOOEV - estimate €300,000–300,000

Leica 250 Reporter GG with a Leica-Motor MOOEV - estimate €300,000–300,000 (Image credit: Leitz Photographica)

The final star lot is a Leica 250 Reporter GG with a Leica-Motor MOOEV. Designed to take special 10-metre rolls of film which could take 250 exposures, this is said to be one of the rarest and most valuable cameras manufactured by Leitz/Leica. It is estimated that only 15 of these cameras survive today. This particular camera offered here was delivered to Berlin in November 1942 and is in excellent condition with only minimal signs of wear.

A complete catalogue for the auction will be published on the Leitz Photographica Auction website in mid May. The auction itself will take place at Leica's headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany, on 8 june 2019.

Read more:

Leica 0 camera sells for record amount at auction

The 10 best Leica cameras in 2019

Chris George
Chris George

Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography. 

His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 15 Pro Max.

He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.