Golden Leica II - fake, or...

[Rob Fox]

OK, I know - this belongs to "I got a stupid question" edition 😱


...And the question is: is ANY "golden" Leica (model II in this partic. case) fake/copy or...there ARE some gold plated originals hidden around?

Some local pro photographer owns mentioned Leica II, but not being an expert (ie. me), I'm wondering could such camera be an original indeed - as hi claims! - or it's just plain fake?


That camera looks +- like this one (fantasy top plate engraving excluded!)

Please help...to dissolve this mis(t)ery


Thanks!

 

[Paul T.]

IF it's brass, it's fake. If it's gold, it's probably fake. QUickest way to tell is the VF window; on the camera you've showed (which I reckon is brass) it sits on a beveled panel, the most obious sign of a fake. REal leicas will have a round roller cam, on fakes it's a pie shape.

ON anything like like this, I would assume it's fake. But of course Leica were doing their guady gold-plaed versions as early as the Standard

 

[mooge]

That's not a fake Leica... it's a genuine Zorki 1. 🙄

 

[Vince Lupo]

This one is a fake, but there are definitely ones out there that are in fact Leicas (but not real LUXUS Leicas). I bought one from KEH last year -- they said that it was a Leica I C Standard gold fake, and it was something like $100. I bought it on a whim, and it turned out to be real, and I resold it for over $650. I had another one a couple of years ago, and it went for almost $1300.

The ones that are dull gilt, and particularly those that are Leica I's, have a better chance of being real Leicas (I would keep away from anything with a rangefinder, or anything with weird Nazi markings). But here again, I'm saying that while they may be in fact real Leicas, the gold gilding was either done by Leitz at some later date, or not done by them at all. Tread very lightly when you're dealing with gold Leicas -- don't forget, there were only about 95 Luxus cameras made, and I'm sure that most of them have been well documented. Definitely more fakes out there than real ones!

 

[dee]

The crudely added Leica nose on the Zorki case is a dead give-away .
I have one of these , and they are great fun though !

 

[Vince Lupo]

Here's one of the ones that I had -- real Leica, but not a real Luxus.

Interesting thing about this one is that the serial number (68834) was on the list of real Luxus camera serial numbers......

 

[Vince Lupo]

How about a shiny chrome one? Here again, real Leica, but god-awful chrome!

 

[Steve M.]

I like the first one, the LeicaZorki one. It would make a nice ladies camera. The real gold one is too reptilian for me, although the chrome one also catches my fancy.

 

[ZorkiKat]

The shiny brass quickly tarnishes to dull grey.

Here is a page for a quick check on whether the camera is a genuine Zorki or not:

http://jay.fedka.com/index_files/Page367.htm

 

[Rob Fox]

Thank you all guys, now I know more than before


All in all, brass plated Leica's are fake (only real gold counts, right?)



@Zorkikat, great info-link, but the photos are mostly disappeared 🙁
(damn..)

 

[Vince Lupo]

All in all, brass plated Leica's are fake (only real gold counts, right?)

Guess you could probably apply that as a general rule, though I'm sure there are real gold plated Zorkis out there. An easy way to tell (if you have the ability to do it) would be to take the camera to a jeweler to have the gold acid tested. With that one pictured above in one of my earlier posts, I brought it to a local jeweler friend of mine, and he acid tested it and verified it to be 24k gold plate.

I think the first thing to do would be to ascertain the camera's authenticity as a Leica camera, then go from there. Telltale signs include the shape of the viewfinder, shutter release button, if there are any unusual markings (Reichsadlers, etc) and - if you are able to check the camera out in person - the 'feel' and 'sound' of the camera.

 

[Rob Fox]

Thanks Vince

I will ask the owner to allow me to snap some shots of his Leica this days (will be uploaded here)


That's surely the best and simpliest way to check cam's authencity 😎

 

[David Hughes]

I like the first one, the LeicaZorki one. It would make a nice ladies camera. The real gold one is too reptilian for me, although the chrome one also catches my fancy.

Talking of ladies; has anyone ever seen "The case for the lady" or an "ETKAL", which appears in their 1930's catalogues?

Regards, David

 

[hippocamera]

Look here:

Look here:

[Leica II D Luftwaffe copy, Gold, in leather case!]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-II-D-Luftwaffe-copy-Gold-leather-case-/390250180440?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item5adcb92f58#ht_2009wt_881

 

[ZorkiKat]

[Leica II D Luftwaffe copy, Gold, in leather case!]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-II-D-Luftwaffe-copy-Gold-leather-case-/390250180440?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item5adcb92f58#ht_2009wt_881

99% certain that what glitters there isn't gold. Its brass, and this is what is left after the chromium and nickel layers are stripped off.

In this photo are the top cover, top plate and bottom plate from a FED whose chrome 'skin' was removed (by reverse electrolysis) as a preliminary step towards repainting.

The freshly exposed brass is bright yellow like gold. But pollutants in the air, sweat and oil from the skin will soon darken it. Such was what happened to my "golden Leica II" which once had been a plain jane chrome Zorki-1. The golden glitter was gone in about two weeks; the corrosion had progressed so far that the brass was almost totally grey. I decided to paint the camera black instead.


________________________________________

 

[ZorkiKat]

@Zorkikat, great info-link, but the photos are mostly disappeared 🙁
(damn..)

Thanks Rob. The photos original locations must have changed, or something to that effect.

I shall republish the page, with the complete photos, in another site.

 

[Rob Fox]

Spassibo Zorkikat

I am looking forward to see renewed photos on that fedka. com page


Regards

 

[Rob Fox]

Found by accident today. THIS is the dang thing 😀


http://www.collection-appareils.fr/krasno/html/zorki_1C_leica.php

 

[Vince Lupo]

Found by accident today. THIS is the dang thing 😀


http://www.collection-appareils.fr/krasno/html/zorki_1C_leica.php

Okay, so this is definitely a Zorki -- you can tell by the rectangular viewfinder window, the shutter release button, the 'gold' finish, the 'vulcanite', among other things. Not worth much more than $50 - but that's what it's worth to me, at least.

 

[Rob Fox]

...and the lens will be Elmar marked FED f3,5 or...?