Grandfather's M3 now mine - advice?

[josh b]

Hopefully I am not violating any forum rules - will gladly stand corrected if so. I recently inherited my Grandpa's Leica M3 camera and lens collection. He purchased it new in 1955 in Ohio. I have a lot of the slides that he took of trips out west and overseas. Also all of the purchase certificates with the serial numbers survived and I placed them into a notebook.

I suppose I'll be hanged on this forum for saying this but I probably am not the best person to appreciate the Leica Rangefinder cameras as I've come to accept the mediocre quality of today's compact digital cameras. I've posted everything on ebay but wasn't sure what a fair price to ask was or if there was a better way to present the camera. Should I have it overhauled at a Leica repair facility or would it be better to let the next owner do that?

Here are some pictures of the what I have and any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[josh b]

 

[venchka]

I hope my grandkids bury my cameras with me.

 

[chris00nj]

Well I inherited my grandfather's M3, but I started using it!

What you want to do is try to present some decent indication of the gear's condition. Most people want to buy something and use it, not bother with trying to fix it. If you don't say anything, people will price the risk of gear being in very poor condition into the final sales price.

For lenses:

• Mechanics: move the aperature and focus ring. Do they move freely and smoothly?
• Open the aperture and hold it up to an LED light. Can you see clearly through it? Does it look hazy or have any spider-like growth. Are there bubbles in the glass? Generally haze can be cleaned by a pro, but spider-like growth (fungus) or bubbles (seperation) are can permently effect the photos and the lens.
• Are the scratches? Minor scratches which generally come from cleaning are common and do not really effect picture quality.

For the camera:

• Wind and Release the shutter. (Your camera will require two small strokes of the winder lever). Did it go smoothly? Repeat at different shutter speeds. Try to time the opening of the shutter curtain at one second and a half second. Are they accurate?
• Look through the viewfinder? Is it clear?
• Attached a lens. Change the focus on the lens while looking through the viewfinder. A second image should move. How distinct is the second image? Try it indoors
• Look at the shutter curtain. Does it appear to be wrinkled or have any tiny holes?

What you have:

The Camera: In case you don't know, you have an early double stroke M3, unless it was converted to a single stroke later. It is an M mount camera. It'll probably go for $450-$700.

The Lenses: In general, Are you lenses M mount or screw mount. That'll be important in the description. With earlier Leicas , you screwed the lens onto the camera. The later M mount camera is a bayonet. You could get an adapter that screwed onto the screw lens mount to convert it into an M mount. True M mount lenses tend to carry a little more value as they are newer, although screw mount lenses are a bit more versitile because they can be used on screw mount cameras or M cameras. Basically see if the base screws off or not

Summicron 5cm: This is an early version of the Summicron. If it is a screwmount, it'll fetch around $200-250. If M mount perhaps $100 more.
Summaron 3.5cm: A very capable lens. It'll fetch around $200 if it is a screwmount, and perhaps $100 more if an M mount.
Elmar 9cm: A decent, common lens. Worth about $80.
Hektor 13.5cm: This lens looks like it has some haze on the glass. Overall not a valuable lens. If clean, probably worth around $75.

The lens hood can actually be decently valuable. List them seperately from the lenses.

The value of your stuff really depends on the condition. Some of the lens hoods are decently valuable as well. Assuming everything works reasonably well and you go through the effort of attesting to the condition, here is a nice guide :

 

[venchka]

The best indication of function is to expose and print a roll of film. Use each lens. Use each shutter speed. Use the attached meter for metering.

Drive across town with the gear and get a quote to buy it from KEH.

List it for sale here. Buyers here actually appreciate and use this equipment.

 

[FPjohn]

Hello:

You have an early M3 with a complete lens kit and most of the accessory "bits" such as lens caps and sunshades. The best thing is to keep it and use it to take photographs.

A gentle clean and assessment of the lenses will tell you if they are usable "as is".
A CLA ( clean, lubricate, adjust) for the M3 is about $200 and each lens ~$80-150.

The entire kit has considerable value.


yours
FPJ

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Just from what I can tell by looking at the pictures, especially the corrosion on the M meter and M3, it looks like it was stored in damp conditions. Probably everything there would need a CLA, and then it wouldn't be very pretty.

Condition, as has been mentioned, is everything.

 

[FPjohn]

Listen to venchka (and others above).

yours
FPJ

 

[Oscar Levant]

The guy just obviously wants to know what it's worth. He doesn't want to "bury them with his grandfather" and I think that's an insane sentiment.

He's not into the cameras. They are objects, not emotional baggage. You don't bury a house or a car with a deceased relative, you sell them.

Sell each piece separately. Take clear photos of each. Look with a flashlight through each lens for haze, scratches, etc.

Don't waste money "fixing" them. You'll end up with a huge loss, problems, and a mess. Tell the story how you got them the same as you did here. (the stuff looks far from mint, lenses have visible haze). Start the bidding at a dollar and you'll get what the equipment is worth. High starting prices usually bring far less bids and lower prices.

I'll guess you get $700-$1000 for everything, maybe even a little less.

.

 

[lic4]

Sigh. Just list it on ebay and be done with it.

 

[tennis-joe]

I wish I would have inherited something from my grandfathers as they died before I was born. I assume he had no connection to his grandfather and just needs the money? Sad if you ask me if this is the truth. Somehow I don't know if I believe it or maybe I like cameras and photography.
Joe

 

[venchka]

List the lenses with caps. List the lens hoods seperately. Depending on scarcity, hoods can bring more than the lens.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I wish I would have inherited something from my grandfathers as they died before I was born.

Dear Joe,

Seconded. Both my grandfathers died in WW2. My maternal grandfather was on the Russian convoys: my paternal grandfather on HMS Gloucester off Crete. George (my paternal grandfather) was an enthusiastic amateur photographer, which is why my father supported me so enthusiastically when I started showing an interest in 1966.

If the money isn't all that important, I'd urge the OP to give the kit to a young photographer (20-30) who would really appreciate it and use it. Sentimental? Yes. So?

Tashi delek,

R.

 

[josh b]

Wow - this is a great forum! Very robust range of opinions and lots of activity. I appreciate all the comments.

I wish I would have inherited something from my grandfathers as they died before I was born. I assume he had no connection to his grandfather and just needs the money? Sad if you ask me if this is the truth. Somehow I don't know if I believe it or maybe I like cameras and photography.
Joe

Lol - quite the opposite according to my wife at least. My grandfather's hobbies included gardening and woodworking and collecting cranberry glass. You can see on my website barefamily dot com that I have enjoyed his influence in those areas. Not to bore you with details but the barn I built in the backyard from recycled wood is a replica of his shanty up north. (click on the barn pic on the site for more info) Perhaps more interesting is that I am currently transposing his WWII daily diaries into Word so that the content can be preserved. Very interesting reading!

 

[Benjamin]

...If the money isn't all that important, I'd urge the OP to give the kit to a young photographer (20-30) who would really appreciate it and use it. Sentimental? Yes. So?

Tashi delek,

R.

I would agree with this, if you can afford to that is. I hope never to sell any of my cameras ever, well the ones that I like anyway, and I hope that I can give them to somewhen that will use them when I am past it.

Lovely to see all the kit together by the way. You might also feel a bit different about it if you were to have it all serviced and cleaned up. Could make a nice and cabable kit after a good CLA.

 

[robin a]

Damn,I hope my grand kids think more of me.

 

[Oscar Levant]

Before you're cold on the floor, your most favorite and precious stuff will be on eBay or at the pawn shop for pennies on the dollar.

Damn,I hope my grand kids think more of me.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

This thread has me to thinking. I have no kids or grandkids to worry about, so I'll have myself cremated and the Leicas buried in a sealed coffin. That will be a head scratcher for archeologists 1,000 years from now. 😉

Seriously, if you aren't interested in photography, sell the stuff and move on. Cameras are just stuff.

 

[johannielscom]

Please don't sell it on eBay, like the many other people I see.

Too late, It's already on there. US only, USD 2,500 BIN/make offer. Thats gonna buy a nice mediocre compact for sure, dude!

Seems a bit odd, putting it up for grabs and then asking us if we are willing to pay more than the price he put on it, eh?

At least he's selling as a set, so someone that can appreciate this gear will have the chance to acquire an authentic historical set.

I'm with Wayne, my gear goes into the casket with me if there are no offspring available that I trust with it.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Well, it doesn't seem to be generating a lot of action. He says on the ad that the camera works well, but looking at the condition of the camera, I doubt that seriously. Too bad.