Leica serial #'s. How many did they make?

[davidnewtonguitars]

I'm looking at a very nice IIIc in the sharkskin thread, and I'm wondering what year is was made, and call up the serial # guide, and it says 15,000 IIIc's in 1949. In 1947-49 they made 55,000?
Really?
We should be stumbling over Leicas...

 

[michaelwj]

We should be stumbling over Leicas...

We literally are. There are over 2500 Leica film cameras on eBay today (compared to only 5000 Nikon film cameras).

Lets say they made 1,000,000 cameras. Nikon has made 100,000,000 lenses, and so has Canon. So there would be one Leica for every 100 Nikon or Canon lenses. Sounds about right.

 

[Dralowid]

Most Leicas are not rare and the intense drive for export in the early post war years was a key part of the country's regeneration.

I haven't got the figures to hand but I think production in 1929 or 1930 was also surprisingly high? Someone will know.

 

[Erik van Straten]

The production of Leicas started in 1923. Until 1930 21.478 Leicas are made. Until 1940 349.000. Until 1950 460.000. Until 1960 976.100. Until 1970 1.245.000. Until 1980 1.527.700. And so on.

Erik.

 

[David Hughes]

"We should be stumbling over Leicas..."

We are aren't we? but people tend to hold on to them and so few come up for sale. And a lot of us have them by the dozen.

Regards, David

 

[Mr_Flibble]

*Whistles innocently* 🙄

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

I suppose a picture of one of the machine rooms at Leica in 1948 or so would help to satisfy my question.
I will go google.

 

[Rob-F]

For a while after WWII the U.S. military was buying a lot of Leicas from the factory. I've been told they were taking Leica's entire production for a while, and any Leica in that 1947-1949 time window was almost certainly owned by the U.S. army or Navy when new. Has anyone else heard this?

 

[Roger Hicks]

We ARE stumbling over them. Here's the story of five Ms that I borrowed...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

For a while after WWII the U.S. military was buying a lot of Leicas from the factory. I've been told they were taking Leica's entire production for a while, and any Leica in that 1947-1949 time window was almost certainly owned by the U.S. army or Navy when new. Has anyone else heard this?

Dear Rob,

No, never heard that one. I think I would have, if there were any truth in it. Does it include cameras sold via the PX? In which case, of course, they were not "owned" by the US Army or Navy in any normal sense. Even then, I'm sure that the vast majority were sold elsewhere.

After all, what need would the US Armed Forces have for 75,000 Leicas? In 1947 Leica made 12,938 bodies; in 1948, 25,036; in 1949 37,087.

My suspicion is either that someone was either having you on, or suffering from an excess of American exceptionalism.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Post-war a number of batches were delivered to the US Army of the Occupation to be sold through the PX. Presumably to get the German industry going if anything.

Interestingly enough I've come across the 1944 TO&E for the US Signal Photo Companies. Each company (on paper) was supposed to be issued 12 Leica cameras.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

I suppose my poorly worded question had to do with the serial number list.
In 1946 Leica set aside a block of numbers for IIIc's, the list says 40,001.
Did they make 40,001 cameras? Or did they make some number less, and reserve the unused numbers?

 

[David Hughes]

I suppose my poorly worded question had to do with the serial number list.
In 1946 Leica set aside a block of numbers for IIIc's, the list says 40,001.
Did they make 40,001 cameras? Or did they make some number less, and reserve the unused numbers?

Hi,

I'd interpret that as the numbers started at 40 001 but we don't know where they ended. Don't forget that they have to guess the output when blocking or batching the numbers at the start of the run and materials were hard to come by then; especially chrome...

Regards, David