M3 place of manufacture

thawkins

thawkins

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I have an M3 Serial #924XXX. I have read if the M3 engraving just to the left of the serial number is larger in size than the serial number, the camera was built in Canada. Fact or fiction????

Tom
 
I believe that Canadian built M3's had the M3 engraving larger than the German made ones. You're serial # is for a Canadian M3. Stu
 
Where did you read this? As far as I can tell, all the M's through the M4's had a model designation larger than the serial number. I thought that production didn't move to midland until the M4 and that most were clearly marked. If you look under the Leica script it tells you where the camera was made.

My M3 (997 XXX) Says quite clearly,
ERNST LEITZ GMBH
WETZLAR GERMANY
 
I guess I don't understand the difference. Stephen, do you have an example you could show us? Or an approximate date/serial # range? I looked at the very comprehensive list, but the first mention of Canada is an M4 from 1974. If they were making M2's and 3's at midland, wouldn't it have been before that?

Sorry for all the questions, but now I'm curious.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Yes, it does say Wetzler, Germany. In my mind it is German and I will go with that.

Thanks,

Tom
 
This one, right?

It's not just larger, it's MUCH larger. This is one of those things that you need to see both examples for it to make sense. That makes my M3 fall in the "common" category. Which is good, because I insist on using mine to take pictures, and I wouldn't want to give Stephen any more worries. :p
 
projectbluebird said:
I guess I don't understand the difference. Stephen, do you have an example you could show us? Or an approximate date/serial # range? I looked at the very comprehensive list, but the first mention of Canada is an M4 from 1974. If they were making M2's and 3's at midland, wouldn't it have been before that?

Sorry for all the questions, but now I'm curious.
Click to expand...

Take another look at the list.

"M2 ELC" means "M2 Ernst Leitz Canada"
same for M3, etc

Stephen
 
M3

M3

The reason can be as simple as that,- the top cover might have been replaced and the engraving was made in some workshop, whether authorized or not.
If a cover was replaced and renumbered in Wetzlar, it could happen, that the number was much fatter, than original engraving. I have seen several examples, also owned one myself. "It was believed", so to speak, that this was done on purpose, to distinguish a replaced top. Well, this does not really make sense to me, but that was one of the many rumours.
Best regards Wolfhard
 
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projectbluebird said:
I guess I don't understand the difference. Stephen, do you have an example you could show us? Or an approximate date/serial # range? I looked at the very comprehensive list, but the first mention of Canada is an M4 from 1974. If they were making M2's and 3's at midland, wouldn't it have been before that?

Sorry for all the questions, but now I'm curious.
Click to expand...

According to the ELCAN website, they started making cameras and lenses in Midland in 1952.

http://www.elcan.com/About_ELCAN/ELCAN_History/

Regards
Ernst
 
Engraving

Engraving

Heres the one I was thinking of. CLE-RF´s M3
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...0&d=1201549549

Look at the ingraved M3 and serialnumber.##


Thats what I meant! Definitely a replacement!
Looks like it could use a new one again!
Anyway, just do not bother! According to a veteran Leica "trouble shooter" in the worldwide service, numbering either from canada or from Wetzlar was more or less at coincidence, a lot of bodies from Canada were engraved Wetzlar! Also many "odd" numbers of black enamel M4`s kind of "preproduction" or whatever were definitely made in Canada,- but were engraved Wetzlar, regards Wolfhard
 
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