Leica LTM Leica llla 1938

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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Mardon1

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Hi there I inherited an immaculate leica llla well this is what I have traced the number on the top to! It has a summar lens and the leather case is as it was brand new this camera doesn't have a scratch on it and all seems to be working how it should!

Can anyone give me a guide as to what it is worth as I would like to sell thanks in advance Sean!
 
No, seriously, you cannot get a good appraisal here - for one, we are hardly disinterested. Some of us might want to trick you into selling below value, others might have an interest in talking up the price of their similar offer.

For the other, everything is a matter of condition. If you do not even know what the camera is worth, you cannot determine whether it is immaculate - "looks as if brand new" could mean "dead camera externally restored to cabinet piece looks" just as well as "unused right out of original box, perfectly stored, with all documents and bills of the original celebrity owner" The one could be worth less than 200€, the other more than ten times that.

Go to a Leica dealer, and calculate in that even a fair dealer will only offer 20-50% of his selling price if he wants to buy it off you! After all he'll predictably sit on it for months or years, and may have to have it serviced at his cost.
 
My Leica book gives it a rarity rating of CCC. Quite common. The scale goes from CCC to CC, C, R, RR, and RRR with some pluses ans minuses thrown into the mix. Of course, condition is everything. Source: Identifying Leica Cameras by Ghester Sartorius. That's assuming you have identified it correctly as a Leica IIIa (G) of 1938.
 
This may be a good moment for a gentle reminder that the site owner does not wish offers to buy, sell, or trade to appear in discussion threads. RFF has a classified section for this purpose.

As always, the standard response to how much an item is worth is: check completed ebay listings and used prices at dealers like KEH Camera.

That being said, I have the same camera and remember paying about $200 for it, and the same lens, about $175, but condition is hugely important. Prices can be less than half as much or almost twice as much depending on condition.
 
I have the same camera with a Summer lens in truly 98 per cent condition that I bought from an eBay seller in Germany last year and I can tell you with certainty that I paid less than a half what a dealer would ask for it. When the camera arrived it was perfect except it had not been serviced since it was built. The camera technician said he had never seen a Summar in such good condition but it still needed cleaning to remove dirt and a slight haze. The total cost of the service was £160 + postage. Having followed other examples of this camera I can also tell you that the value on eBay depends not just on the camera but on your sales record, how many camera collectors are watching your auctions, whether you have other Leica equipment for auction, the quality of your photographs, what return policy you offer, which country you are in, the cost of shipping, the month of the year, the day of the week and the time of day your auction ends, how many other examples in similar condition and their prices are available in the same week, the weather and other factors I can only guess at. Taken together the combined weight of these factors is at least 50 per cent and sometimes higher. That's why mine was cheap ... but not such a bargain. Good luck and I hope this helps.
 
The problem with threads like this is that the original poster usually has no interest in cameras. They think they have this unbelievable treasure as they heard Leica cameras are expensive. They do minimal research on Google to find out what year it is etc.
When reality sets in and it becomes apparent that the camera is worth a few hundred dollars tops, they don't want to believe it. Therefore it's futile to respond to questions about value as honest input is rarely appreciated.

The sad thing is that most of those people that think they inherited this "fantastic treasure" are only interested in how much money the camera is worth and never ever give it a second thought that there might be a family history attached to it.

To the OP: Why don't you value what you inherited, get it serviced and learn a new skill? Use the camera and keep the memory alive.

The reason why I'm so passionate about it is my father inherited my granddad's 1938 Leica that he had with him during the war. After granddad passed dad sold it right away and bought something stupid with the money. Man, would I love to have that camera now! What a piece of family history - lost forever...
 
Hi,

Prices on ebay seem to be a matter of luck. I sometimes watch Minolta XD-7's and haven't seen one I could have justified buying.

As soon as I stopped watching them a couple came along I could afford and that was on auctions too...

Regards, David
 
If you are interested in maximizing your selling price you might also consider selling the lens separately from the body. Odd I know..... but it often works out that way.

Especially if the lens (or the body) is sought after. That way you can market each item to the people who are really interested in the one but not the other.

Summars used to be regarded as a nothing very much lens but they did become quite popular a few years ago (and maybe now) when people realised they have interesting imaging possibilities. Both the 111a and the summar are quite common but not so much when in excellent condition.

As another person pointed out, its all about condition. A user camera and lens will sell for an OK price to a photographer. One in excellent ++ condition may bring collectors into the equation and price begins to rise - especially if someone pointed out you have original boxes and papers. These are much loved by collectors when matched with the camera they originally came with.
 
By the way - not wishing to hijack the thread but can I ask a question? What sound is a 111a supposed to make when the shutter is fired? I had one for several years in lovely condition but something I always found to be vaguely off putting was that when the shutter was fired it made a very loud and somewhat "tinny" / metallic sound something like "Kerklonk". I recently tried a nice 111f belonging to a friend and it sounded not too different from a Leica M - a quiet and sophisticated "kerchlick". I wondered if there was something wrong with my sample or if this is how the early non die cast cameras sounded.
 
peterm1 said:
By the way - not wishing to hijack the thread but can I ask a question? What sound is a 111a supposed to make when the shutter is fired? I had one for several years in lovely condition but something I always found to be vaguely off putting was that when the shutter was fired it made a very loud and somewhat "tinny" / metallic sound something like "Kerklonk". I recently tried a nice 111f belonging to a friend and it sounded not too different from a Leica M - a quiet and sophisticated "kerchlick". I wondered if there was something wrong with my sample or if this is how the early non die cast cameras sounded.
Click to expand...

Mine goes "klopp." (Two p's because it's German.)
 
archeophoto said:
To the OP: Why don't you value what you inherited, get it serviced and learn a new skill? Use the camera and keep the memory alive.

The reason why I'm so passionate about it is my father inherited my granddad's 1938 Leica that he had with him during the war. After granddad passed dad sold it right away and bought something stupid with the money. Man, would I love to have that camera now! What a piece of family history - lost forever...
Click to expand...

+1000 - this camera and lens owes you nothing, and selling it is not going to buy you a new Lamborghini. Why not keep it? Or, if you have a friend or acquaintance who's interested in film photography, sell it to them for a fair price (as described elsewhere in this thread).

Inheriting something really neat like this (which a lot of folks here would love to own) and immediately trying to flog it off for maybe only a few hundred bucks - which will be spent and forgotten very soon - unnerves me for some reason. Maybe I'm just too sentimental, but unless you need the money for food or urgent medical bills, it just doesn't seem right. 75 years of family history gone with a "Buy it Now"...

But it's your camera now, so you can do with it what you will
 
As a retired collector (as in "I don't buy anymore" if I want to remain married), I would suggest that you keep the camera and use it. It looks quite nice and the Summar appears to be a clean one also. Otherwise, I second the opinion that the body and lens be disposed of separately. I always felt a little guilty when the IIIa that I bought on ebay arrived with a mint 7.3cm Hektor and actually offered to return it though the seller thankfully declined my offer.

Enjoy a beautiful jewel and don't much attention to the CCC rating. I assume that you are reading Sartorius's book which is an OK summary of Leicas but helpfull primarily for simple identification and serial number lists.

David Tomei
 
I just bought a III for the lens, I'd sell the body for $150. I hope the OP has good luck selling it, or keeps it like was said.

Is it really worth a couple C-notes to give up what your ancestor researched, saved for, and loved as a prize possession? I'd put it on a shelf and just look at it. I'm amazed when I watch the Pawn Stars or other Sell-mania shows at what family heirlooms people sell. One guy had his grandfathers WWII leather bomber jacket, painted on the back with all the missions he survived. The owner said, "hey, I'm in Vegas and need a little money to gamble with....so I guess I'll sell it." A iconic reminder of his grandfather and the greatest generation, so you can pull a handle on a machine and try to get more cash?? And to do what with??
 
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