Contax I 'for China'

[Dralowid]

I have no connection with the seller.

Looks to be in pretty awful shape but this is an interesting Contax with one dimple and marked 'for China'

Can someone remind me what the legend behind the marking is?

Michael

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171711883934?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[enasniearth]

I have no connection with the seller.

Looks to be in pretty awful shape but this is an interesting Contax with one dimple and marked 'for China'

Can someone remind me what the legend behind the marking is?

Michael

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171711883934?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I had a 1930's super ikonta that had Chinese writing on the bottom plate ,
I took it to my local Chinese restaurant , the teenage daughter of the owner said it read made in Germany for China .
One dealer I showed it to stated that Zeiss exported less than perfect examples to china prewar . I really doubt this is true . Interesting though
why for china in English ? Perhaps as the British had Hong Kong at that point .

 

[sevo]

That is generally assumed to have been a (British and US) countermeasure against the grey market re-import channel via China and Hong Kong (or Singapore).

 

[Elmar Lang]

Sold for £ 231,-

 

[sevo]

Rather steep for a block of corroded metal that has been used as a hammer. Or is it the new standard for "brassing" in the post Lenny Kravitz era?

 

[Archlich]

Between 1931-1937 (a period of intense corporations between China and Germany), the government of the Republic of China ordered through a major German distributor in Shanghai called Carlowitz & Co large sums of firearms and optical equipments, orders which Krupp and Zeiss made special batches for.

There were not only cameras, but also (and mostly were) binoculars and microscopes, all marked "Made in Germany" in Chinese or English, sometimes also "For China".

They were well received in China as examples of highest level of craftsmanship. Henry Scherer states on his website though that all the English marked Contaxes he saw are of subpar quality...

 

[Dralowid]

Rather steep for a block of corroded metal that has been used as a hammer. Or is it the new standard for "brassing" in the post Lenny Kravitz era?

Seems to me that for certain items the early Zeiss collectors have deep pockets...but then the '30s is hardly early for Zeiss.