Some Soviet gears began to demand high prices

[raid]

No. It's Kalashnikov

That's what I meant. 😀

 

[raid]

I did a lot of business in Russia and the Baltic countries back in the mid 90'. It was a collectors paradise. Cameras, watches, weapons, binoculars (I was stopped at Pulkovo Airport, St.Petersburg with a pair of night vision binoculars - bought for a song - they suspected were CCCP high tech that I was not allowed to bring out fo the country - I was, eventually), parts from german WWII planes, full preasure suits for FOXBAT pilots, fake, but excellent looking fake art paintings etc. etc.

I deeply regret that I did not buy more. Like excellent Leica copies I was offered. I bought a quite a few binoculars (night vison and ordinary) which I gave away as presents or sold to colleques - for a song too. Since then prices has sky rocketed on such items.

When I did my military service some 36 years ago we drank coffee from ex. Wehmacht mugs (at today's Gardermoen Airport, Oslo) with the swastika in the bottom. We did not think much of it at the time, that they slowly disappeared. Today they are valuable collectors items.

It is the same story happening all over again.

As a young boy in Germany, I used to have a nice knife with an eagle's head and swastika sign on it. A new law came out that forbid knives of certain blade lengths to be used by children. The knife was thrown away by my parents. I recall getting the knife from some German friends who during a visit to their home showed us old stuff from WWII.

 

[varjag]

These were ordered by Soviet Defence Ministry for military forces. These are real militray watches, and are sought after by Russian watch collectors. Someone said these are chronometer quality watches, the Rolex type ones.😀

Yep, I know. Some of them were standard time piece for crew commanders distributed along with БРДМ, a light armoured recon vehicle.

Their quality is not anywhere near Rolex though (IMHO).

I recall also cabin chronometers for military vehicles: my father was a tank company commander at one point, and those rugged, cyllindric screw-mounted timepieces were all over the place in our house. It was a custom to sign them off to officers for storage at their apartments, since at warehouses they were inevitably stolen by army intendants.

 

[napchop]

prices

prices

Hello everyone, my first visit to RFF
As a buyer and seller here in Ukraine I should point out that most of those Ukrainians selling cameras have also read the price guide published by McKeowns and this has pushed the prices up considerably. And, as more Ukrainians use the internet they have a good idea what the cameras cost in UK and USA. The result is that a good clen Kiev, that 3 years ago would cost you $20 , now costs about $60 and the service and checking that most sellers like myself do costs around $15-20. My profit on most cameras is around $30. I spend a lot of my time in the markets. My wife and I get up at 5am in -35C weather in winter to visit open air camera 'clubs' . I dont do this as a business, and most of the 'dealers' I know dont make a lot, they do it for the'crack' as we say in England (that's the fun of it, rather than the narcotic substance...)😎
I dont sell anything that isnt as near perfect as can be found, and that costs money here.

 

[Xmas]

Hi Noel,

Why 1948 troubles you? And the inner kingdom is being sneaky? What about the once super power of the 19th century?

Zhang

Why 1948 troubles you?
Envy
Getting the '51 J12 was difficult enough...

What about the once super power of the 19th century?
That power won it in sea battles, not by lending rivals money, the inner kingdom is lending the US money to prosecute wars, clever is a similar word to sneaky, in English, as you may well understand.

Watrching this situation unfold is very interesting, and would be less annoying if I was not paying taxes for both wars.

Noel

 

[Xmas]

That's what I meant. 😀

I dont think I even tried to spell it.

Noel

 

[zhang xk]

Why 1948 troubles you?
Envy
Getting the '51 J12 was difficult enough...

What about the once super power of the 19th century?
That power won it in sea battles, not by lending rivals money, the inner kingdom is lending the US money to prosecute wars, clever is a similar word to sneaky, in English, as you may well understand.

Watrching this situation unfold is very interesting, and would be less annoying if I was not paying taxes for both wars.

Noel

That 1948 is not mine. I assume it will not perform better than my black J-12.

I see your point. At least, I think you are honest.🙄

 

[zhang xk]

I did a lot of business in Russia and the Baltic countries back in the mid 90'. It was a collectors paradise. Cameras, watches, weapons, binoculars (I was stopped at Pulkovo Airport, St.Petersburg with a pair of night vision binoculars - bought for a song - they suspected were CCCP high tech that I was not allowed to bring out fo the country - I was, eventually), parts from german WWII planes, full preasure suits for FOXBAT pilots, fake, but excellent looking fake art paintings etc. etc.

I deeply regret that I did not buy more. Like excellent Leica copies I was offered. I bought a quite a few binoculars (night vison and ordinary) which I gave away as presents or sold to colleques - for a song too. Since then prices has sky rocketed on such items.

When I did my military service some 36 years ago we drank coffee from ex. Wehmacht mugs (at today's Gardermoen Airport, Oslo) with the swastika in the bottom. We did not think much of it at the time, that they slowly disappeared. Today they are valuable collectors items.

It is the same story happening all over again.

Chinese leica copy Red Flag-20, and Shanghai 58-1 could be bought for a song 30 years ago. A collector declined an offer of a carton box of NOS Shanghai 58-2s for RMB 30 a piece.:bang: IMO, those Soviet items have a historical and cultural value. Some might become Russian Nikon I and Canon Hansa one day.(my dream)😀

 

[ruben]

Hello everyone, my first visit to RFF
As a buyer and seller here in Ukraine I should point out that most of those Ukrainians selling cameras have also read the price guide published by McKeowns and this has pushed the prices up considerably. And, as more Ukrainians use the internet they have a good idea what the cameras cost in UK and USA. The result is that a good clen Kiev, that 3 years ago would cost you $20 , now costs about $60 and the service and checking that most sellers like myself do costs around $15-20. My profit on most cameras is around $30. I spend a lot of my time in the markets. My wife and I get up at 5am in -35C weather in winter to visit open air camera 'clubs' . I dont do this as a business, and most of the 'dealers' I know dont make a lot, they do it for the'crack' as we say in England (that's the fun of it, rather than the narcotic substance...)😎
I dont sell anything that isnt as near perfect as can be found, and that costs money here.

Hi napchop,
Wellcome to RFF, and I hope you will be in frequent contact with us.

I would like to express my personal opinion after buying many Kievs and other old cameras, from FSU and Japanese cameras from Western countries.

What concerns me is not to pay 60 instead of 20. I am ready to pay even 100 if the camera is opened, checked cleaned, lubricated and adjusted.

It is extremely rare to find an old camera in a flea market in an overall highly good health, and i am not expecting it. But as a customer I would like the eBay sellers to serously check and correct their goods.

By now there is a single seller more or less adjusting his products. So besides him, I use to clasify the FSU into two categories. Cathegory 1) sellers that thave absolutely no idea about the specific item they are selling, and 2) sellers with a very slight idea about the item they are selling. Both types judge price upon the cosmetic condition.

This situation from the customer point of view, is desperate. So desperate that I am actually and for a long time not buying a Jupiter 3 lens out of mistrust about what i am going to get.

I hope this situation will change for good some day, by any dynamic group of people, able to associate themselves, and distribute the work in such a way that one or two will be in charge of the fixing.

And let me to participate you in a small secret, I have learned, upon having to learn to fix Kievs my self. Once you master the skill of fixing, you are free from having to buy cameras with the best cosmetic exterior, and thus extremely widening and cheapening your choices and costs. Here a potential unexploited edge against the competition .

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[varjag]

Ruben,

If you're looking specifically for a good J-3, check with ebay seller leon1965jazz when he has it. He did me a fine job converting Contax-mount J-3 into LTM and adjusting it for Leica standard, and dealing with him was a good experience.

 

[Spider67]

Well to add a spelling:

"Kolatshnikov" after "Kolatsche" the next best dessert after Strudel in Vienna.
Interstingly ther is another collectors scene heavily concentrated in the US: Collectors of FSU service rifles (I don't want to go into details) but there are interesting parallels: How a low prices provide the opportunity to enter an othrewise very expensive hobby.....and how comparatively cheap basic models somehow gain value as soon as collectors find some criteria even the manufacturer himself never thought to be so important. Please corrct me if I am wrong but I think that Fed 3a and Fed 3b are designations created by user/collectors. And just like with the cameras the rifle collectors are guys (well that is the reasonable ones) who will react to phrases like "That soviet stuff is barely usable" with a well meant "Oh that is not true you just have to adjuyt this screw there then you have to get rid of the gunk there and perhaps file down a bit of that..."
It seems that that a bit of tinkering has to be expected. I remember that in the eighties when I got my first Zorkis I got 4's and 4 k's very cheap in auction houses, but I could never get a Keica-Zorkiy that is a Zorki one!
Hi napchop thanks for the insight and Welcome......Nice to know that some of our "western" stereotypes in this case Igor the ruthless FSU camera dealer who ships them out by the container and earns a Rolls Royce every week simply don't exist!

 

[zhang xk]

Yep, I know. Some of them were standard time piece for crew commanders distributed along with БРДМ, a light armoured recon vehicle.

Their quality is not anywhere near Rolex though (IMHO).

I recall also cabin chronometers for military vehicles: my father was a tank company commander at one point, and those rugged, cyllindric screw-mounted timepieces were all over the place in our house. It was a custom to sign them off to officers for storage at their apartments, since at warehouses they were inevitably stolen by army intendants.

I think Vostok and Rolex have the same design concept. Both are rugged divers watches.😀 Some Vostok could go as deep as 300 meters.

IIRC, I saw one of the gold plated cabin chronometer listed for $3000-4000 on the *bay.:bang:

 

[zhang xk]

A year of 2 ago there where shirts and sport jackets with CCCP printed on it, or with a mix of Russian text. They are still sold in Amsterdam.
At flee markets/bazars there are sometimes cheap binocolairs with camo prints with a Red Star and made in USSR or CCCP on it, I doubt they are made there. I have a real Russian binoculair (8x50), a very good one.

Some small Chinese factories made those very low quality binoculars with a red coating, and fake Vostoks with a low quality movement and a base metal case. Then all Russian watches, real or fake, are sold dirt cheap. This is good for me with some knowleadge.😀

 

[zhang xk]

I think Vostok and Rolex have the same design concept. Both are rugged divers watches.😀 Some Vostok could go as deep as 300 meters.

Some Vostok military watch tells a story, and some has a distinctive character.😛

 

[napchop]

Ruben,

If you're looking specifically for a good J-3, check with ebay seller leon1965jazz when he has it. He did me a fine job converting Contax-mount J-3 into LTM and adjusting it for Leica standard, and dealing with him was a good experience.

Ouch! The leica mount J3's are so common and the contax/Kiev ones becoming so rare that i wonder why anyone woulkd do that? I find 20 Leica mount J3's for every Kiev one.

 

[varjag]

Ouch! The leica mount J3's are so common and the contax/Kiev ones becoming so rare that i wonder why anyone woulkd do that? I find 20 Leica mount J3's for every Kiev one.

Because one could have a terrific early Schott-glass Jupiter that he knows throughout, and wants to keep using it when buying into Leica 🙂

 

[rxmd]

Here's another two high-price updates from Tashkent:

Narciss, boxed set, mint condition - 300 USD (cute!)
Kiev-5, good condition - 200 USD

These are initial quotes, of course, where you can get 20 to 40% off by haggling, but then again then you have a camera in Tashkent and need to get it out of the country (good luck getting a Ministry of Culture permit for the export of rare goods!). Collectors are really driving prices up for some goods at the moment.

 

[BrianT]

Last year I was down South visiting my son in Gillingham. He took me to a shop in either Gillingham or Chatham, it might have been called Medway Cameras but don't really know. Anyway he had Kievs Feds etc at the most unbelievable prices, like £250 for run of the mill 4m. Likewise have a look at Leica Camera Shop Vienna he is also a joke.....perhaps why he never seems to sell them. Strange because it's a great shop and I have bought several Rolleis and Leicas, but for Russian stuff....stupid.

And yes 11s and 111s are great, the earlier the better.
Brian.