Sixteen bids and what do you get?

[amateriat]

Final score:

http://tinyurl.com/jk83k

I actually find it breathtaking that there were that many bids/counter-bids (and in 500-Euro increments at that...maybe that was the minimum?).

Obviuosly, this is one "modern" Leica that will likely never have another roll of film put through it, except perhaps out of curiosity. As far as setting any records, I'm curious: it's probably not the priciest Leica to go on auction (though perhaps it is for eBay). Where does it rank in the most-ridiculous-price-paid-for stakes? (Memo to proud new owner: put it under glass if you must, but hold the shrink-wrap. Please.)

Also. this leaves (supposedly) three identical prototypes extant. Anyone know how many Solms still has their mitts on?


- Barrett ("Could've bought a Merc or Lexus, but where's the fun in that?)

 

[MP/CLE]

...another day older and deeper in debt...bad, bad, bad GAS!

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Words fail me. This is madness.

 

[lushd]

What if it turns out to be FED 2 with a paint job?

 

[doubs43]

Shrink wrap....... shrink wrap! 🙄

Walker

 

[Kyle]

What if it turns out to be FED 2 with a paint job?

Too funny! 😀

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

I have some shrink wrap here, specially for Leica, only £5000 a metre.

 

[Pherdinand]

No,no, you are wrong.
I AM running films through it, as soon as I receive it.
😛

 

[lushd]

The shrink wrap thing is new to me - are there people who put their Leicas in sandwich wrapping?
If this is to preserve them, they need to put some silica gel in too. And remove any bacteria that feed on organic materials. And ensure that the shrink wrap is made of stuff that doesn't react with any of the materials the camera is made of. And take out the battery. And make sure the electric charge caused by the wrapping process is earthed (otherwise the electronics will go funny). And put it in a temperature controlled revolving cupboard to make sure that everything is stable and gravity doesn't cause the glass bits to flow to one end. And make sure the cupboard is put on some damping mounts so that vibrations don't shake the camera. And do something about the effects of earth's magnetic field and all the radiation passing through the camera body. Or is that OTT?

 

[amateriat]

Donald: Yep, there are those who do this (there was a thread started on this a short while ago). I think it's nuts, but then, I actually use my RFs, infidel that I am.


- Barrett

 

[MCTuomey]

I'm struck dumb ...

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

When you shrink wrap them you have to send them to Leica first to have the lubricant removed from all the working parts. Serious.

 

[ch1]

Final score:

http://tinyurl.com/jk83k

I actually find it breathtaking that there were that many bids/counter-bids (and in 500-Euro increments at that...maybe that was the minimum?).

Obviuosly, this is one "modern" Leica that will likely never have another roll of film put through it, except perhaps out of curiosity. As far as setting any records, I'm curious: it's probably not the priciest Leica to go on auction (though perhaps it is for eBay). Where does it rank in the most-ridiculous-price-paid-for stakes? (Memo to proud new owner: put it under glass if you must, but hold the shrink-wrap. Please.)

Also. this leaves (supposedly) three identical prototypes extant. Anyone know how many Solms still has their mitts on?


- Barrett ("Could've bought a Merc or Lexus, but where's the fun in that?)

Since it was a pre-production prototype which never was produced - this certaily IS a collector's item!

I doubt it's an eBay record price - espescially since it was a cross-listing to a live auction.

According to the text - only four were made, only two are known to exist and none are at Solms.....

 

[Rich Silfver]

Personally it never fails to amaze me the things that people that are NOT into collecting items worry about and feel compelled to express how stupid and ridiculous prices are for rare items that they themselves have no interes in.

If a Leica - or ANY camera - goes for 30,000 dollars it is obviously a high price for 'a camera' but for a collector that wants rare items it may be money well spent for HIM.

Whatever makes you happy.

 

[jaapv]

And I predict the buyer did a great deal. If this reappears at auction say 2 years from now it wil make 60 to 75 thousand dollars easily. Mad world ain't it?

 

[Will]

And I predict the buyer did a great deal. If this reappears at auction say 2 years from now it wil make 60 to 75 thousand dollars easily. Mad world ain't it?

Let's see when will be next stock market crash? 2009 is a good estimates as the baby boomers are fully into retirement age...

I wouldn't even want a Lexus before 2009...

 

[kully]

35,500 Euros and that's before the 25% extra for charges/tax and the 3% for a credit card payment..

45,706.25 Euros...

That would pay off a huge chunk of my mortage...

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Most carmakers chop up their prototypes. There is no market for one-off Ferraris because they were all trashed. I wish that Leica would do the same and stop fueling this crazy market.

Now, having said that, I'm off out with a camera to take photos of a shrinkwrapped ATM that's being offloaded from a truck outside my office and will need to be carried up a lot of steps to get it inside the bank.

Maybe it's a rare special edition ATM, and that's why they shrinkwrapped it!

 

[RObert Budding]

The shrink wrap thing is new to me - are there people who put their Leicas in sandwich wrapping?

Probably the same folks who cover their living room furniture in plastic to keep it looking new.

 

[jaapv]

I find this sort of thing disturbing, especially when you consider how many lives this amount of money could help if put into, say, drought relief or medical aid for African HIV/AIDS sufferers. Even worse, though, are the obscene sums paid for bits of pigment on canvas.
OK, you might say that there is sound investment practice at work, but these things are inherently valueless. If one day everyone decided they would pay just one penny for them, then that would be their worth.
In the long run, they're worth sod all to the investor anyway; you can't take them with you.

Don't get me started....A sentiment I can totally empathize with. However, money is not even the problem in third world countries, the real outriders of doom are corruption, bureaucracy, greed, indolence and sheer stupidity, both in the recipient and donor countries. Money there is; Bill Gates has his medical aid fund at over $ 500 million, governments pump billions upon billions of foreign aid money into the thrid world, Paul MacCartney does his bit, Fentener van Vlissingen is spending about his whole fortune and many more. The sad thing is that all this money and effort has only resulted in temporary emergency measures and Africa is worse off than it was 20 years ago. The only thing that seems to really work are small, individual actions in cooperation with or at the request of the local communities. So if you knw somebody helping a school in Sudan or an orphanage in Sierra Leone or a medical project in Malawi (me!) please donate your money there. Those are the organisations that need money and don't waste it.
Sorry for the rant.... It is somewhat OT I know....