Leica engraving mistakes

[colyn]

I'm wondering if Leica bodies, lens, etc that have engraving mistakes are really considered more valuable than a properly engraved version.

I just saw a Elmar 9cm on eBay that is engraved "Elma" and the seller is asking more than the usual going price for its condition..

Below is my IIIc which is engraved "Gern" instead of "Germany"

 

[elshaneo]

I've never heard of this kind of engraving mistakes by Leica, it is certainly very rare I guess, but honestly I would not buy one as I think that it will somehow sell and have more value than the normal ones because of its rarity, I might be wrong though...

 

[PhotoMat]

Are you sure it isn't a Russian engraving mistake?

 

[colyn]

Are you sure it isn't a Russian engraving mistake?

If you are referring to my IIIc it's a genuine Leica and not a Russian fake. The Elmar on eBay is also genuine..

 

[Fabrice2]

Was the IIIc engravings handmade in the 40s?? Because the "GERN" looks handmade and the D is wider at the bottom compared to a IIIf... ?

 

[gertf]

A quick google search for leica iiic images appears to show that most do not have 'Germany' engraved, such as this one sold by kevincameras.

http://kevincameras.com/gallery/album899/leica_3c_373895_2

Or this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Leica-IIIc-R...hash=item290275324723&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

 

[gertf]

chippy, as long as it works, I'd gladly pay less for a camera with funky engravings 🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

Yes, Leicas with engraving mistakes are sought after by some collectors, precisely because they are so rare. There is no detail so trivial that it is not quicken the heart of a Leica collector somewhere. Think of the way stamp collectors prize mis-engraved stamps, too. The parallel is exact.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Roger Hicks]

yes i tend to agree Roger, which is why i likend it to coins and stamps as well. it 'should' make them more valuable...and perhaps it does in certain circles of collectors...but i wonder if the vaule of such cameras isnt undermined lately given all the negative critisism we hear, when ever they see something out of the ordinary and instanly call 'fake'/ it must have some impact on the market i think...

Dear Andrew,

I don't think so.

I've known quite a few serious Leica collectors for decades now, and not many of them are taken in very often. The criticism is usually (a) of obvious fakes that would not deceive anyone or (b) from people who fancy themselves far greater experts than they are or (c) taken from dubious internet sources -- or, of course, any combination of the above.

Cheers,

R.

 

[jody36]

wouldnt bother me at all either, gertf. a bonus if it can be had cheaper!




edit; just to add, it does make an interesting talking point (or dull if you are explaining it to someone that doesn't give a rats lol), to think how it happend...perhaps some new young lad was employed and the lunch bell rang so he stopped mid way through engraving 🙂

This is funny cause it probably has some truth to it. Since its done by hand something had to have come up and interrupted the process.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

...from people who fancy themselves far greater experts than they are...

This brings to mind the chairperson of the Ferrari owners' club who was shown photos of a real Ferrari and a high-quality reproduction.

Without hesitation he spotted the impostor and wrote at length about the details which were incorrect.

But he had got them the wrong way round; and so was actually nit-picking the real car.

 

[bottley1]

I own a Leica 90mm f2 ASPH Apo-Summicron M, and it used to be engraved "po-Summicron" on the lens hood. I was pretty proud of that lens, i can tell you. Well, it went for 6-bit encoding to Solms, and the buggers put the "A" back on. I was well annoyed. 😱 I find it now impossible to "bond" with the "new" lens...... 🙁

 

[Roger Hicks]

This brings to mind the chairperson of the Ferrari owners' club who was shown photos of a real Ferrari and a high-quality reproduction.

Without hesitation he spotted the impostor and wrote at length about the details which were incorrect.

But he had got them the wrong way round; and so was actually nit-picking the real car.

Dear Jon,

Wonderful story!

I've done three or four books on Ferraris, and there's a name for people like that in the classic car world: rivet counters.

The trouble is, the people at Ferrari often didn't count too accurately...

Cheers,

Roger

 

[colyn]

edit; just to add, it does make an interesting talking point (or dull if you are explaining it to someone that doesn't give a rats lol), to think how it happend...perhaps some new young lad was employed and the lunch bell rang so he stopped mid way through engraving 🙂

It seems most of the mistakes I've come across are on cameras etc that were made 1946-47....maybe new employees after the war who were not very well trained???

 

[RF_newbie]

i love it Colyn.

 

[John Lawrence]

Well just to buck the trend - I've got a Leica IIIa from the '30s that does not have the DRP / DBP engraved on the top plate in the usual place, or indeed in any place!

All original as well, so goodness only knows who / what wobbled on that day of production!

 

[martin_t]

That's probably what happened. The worker engraved
the wrong letter, checked with his/her supervisor and
got a thumbs up. 'Gern' is an adverb, meaning gladly
or with pleasure. Probably produced a lighthearted
moment, welcome in those very tough times.

Sherry told me once that she dislikes working on the
immediate post-war IIICs. 'Some of them just don't work right'.
I discovered this firsthand with my 4026xx. The shutter
gave me fits at first. with the first curtain insisting on losing
tension. This went on for week or so and then it just
straightened itself out. No problems since. It's likely a
curtain spring that wasn't anchored to the shaft exactly
right, then finally took hold.

Mine has no 'Germany' engraved and no writing at all
on the bottom instruction plate.

 

[LeicaTom]

It`s not about engraving but all the #396xxx and #397xxx issue Stepped Rewind Platform Leica IIIC`s
(Dec 1945 to June 1946) have the instruction plates instaled UPSIDE DOWN! (or backwards!)

Very unique and confusing for many I`m sure 😉

Tom

 

[colyn]

i love it Colyn.

As do I..

It makes for interesting conversation when I show it..

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

If there is something that makes it "collectible", it would be a "mistake" like this.

I think you should put it up on eBoy with a starting bid price of $10,000.

There is no telling what a professional collector would pay! Merry Christmas.

😀