HU: Leica M2 Black- real?

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Might be from this batch ... (from camerquest.com)

12/19/1958 M2 Black SN#948601 to 949100 (500 units)

I only wonder why the base-plate looks so pristine (outside) while the rest of the camera looks well-used (worn)
 
maddoc said:
Might be from this batch ... (from camerquest.com)

12/19/1958 M2 Black SN#948601 to 949100 (500 units)

I only wonder why the base-plate looks so pristine (outside) while the rest of the camera looks well-used (worn)
Click to expand...

Maybe a winder or motor drive was used on this camera with the original base plate stored?
 
I'm no expert but as said before it doesn't look very brassy but could have been sitting somewhere for a long time, the back is a replacement one off a chrome camera.
 
The serial number is for a real black paint but everything else is wrong.

I've never seen a black paint fail like that. And underneath it looks like dirty chrome.
 
Maybe/maybe not? It's got an odd pattern of paint wear as though it's been exposed to pretty corrosive long term storage.
The viewfinder seems foggy, there's rust on the latch and appears to be some on the focusing arm.
I'd like to see the strap lugs more closely too.
 
I think it is original, but it has lost it's original back. Also the base-lock isn't original, it should be black. I have a camera from the same batch, with number 948639.
This batch, like the original black MP, was painted with a matte black paint over burnished brass. The acid with wich the brass was etched, reacted with the paint wich explains the bad condition of the paint.

Not long ago a camera from the same batch was auctioned in Hong Kong and fetched EUR 20.000. I wonder how much this one will be.

Erik.
 
It sounds like the seller is being over-whelmed with e-mails. He made a vague and confusing statement about taking offers and selling everything as a lot. I sent him an e-mail and asked him about selling just the M2. He wants to entertain offers but hasn't figure out how to set a BIN auction with Best Offer option.

I think it is the real deal, just not in great shape and some non-original bits. Probably stored in a closet and/or an old bag. A bit of polish and I bet the brass would shine.
 
my Hove serial number listing shows it as "schwartz" (black) indicating it was a black paint original. Of course, as already noted, a lot could have happened between 1958, the year it was born, and now; including repainting, replacement of some parts, etc.
 
Unless you're thinking about buying it to sit on a shelf and be "cool" because it is a Black Paint M2, I would think carefully about bidding. I see visible rust on internal elements of the camera which can spell real trouble. Picked up an M2 a few years ago on eBay, looked great in the pictures, seller claimed it was mechanically 100%. When I got it and noticed the self timer wouldn't budge, I opened it up and whole sections of the inside of the camera were rusted solid. Moisture inside an M2, over a long period of time, can create a boat anchor. Just saying'.
 
Timmyjoe said:
Unless you're thinking about buying it to sit on a shelf and be "cool" because it is a Black Paint M2, I would think carefully about bidding. I see visible rust on internal elements of the camera which can spell real trouble. Picked up an M2 a few years ago on eBay, looked great in the pictures, seller claimed it was mechanically 100%. When I got it and noticed the self timer wouldn't budge, I opened it up and whole sections of the inside of the camera were rusted solid. Moisture inside an M2, over a long period of time, can create a boat anchor. Just saying'.
Click to expand...

Good points for sure...I've bid it up a couple of times just to push up the price. I guess I should be careful! I don't see where there is visible rust- let me look again.

I suspect that this will sell outside of eBay...I think it has generated a lot of interest. It will be fun to watch, but I'm not sure I want/need a boat anchor!
 
Ok- I see it now: two pictures that show a rusty red color on the drive sprockets and on the inside of the baseplate. That's disturbing😕🙁
 
With the rust you can see, and the paint in that condition, there has got to be some interior corrosion. The thought of it having had a winder on it, then the baseplate returned to the camera for storage is very plausible. But it must have been a very moist storage.

PF
 
Out of curiosity, why would you bid it up just to push up the price? Seems like a lousy thing to do to the people who might actually want to buy it and use it.

cassel said:
Good points for sure...I've bid it up a couple of times just to push up the price. I guess I should be careful! I don't see where there is visible rust- let me look again.

I suspect that this will sell outside of eBay...I think it has generated a lot of interest. It will be fun to watch, but I'm not sure I want/need a boat anchor!
Click to expand...
 
That was sort of a joke...I was curious to see what it would take to be the high bidder. Someone has entered a proxy bid for a much higher amount than I entered...I have a right to bid- it's not like I wouldn't be excited to get a potentially valuable camera at a low price. Are you suggesting I don't have a right to "explore" how much people are willing to pay?
 
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