the rarest 8.5cm Nikkor of them all?

[menos]

To my surprise I stumbled over this Contax mount 8.5cm f1.5 Nikkor on the auction site:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Very-rare-N...63019216?hash=item3f81f15fd0&autorefresh=true

I have never seen one of these in Contax mount and not a single one in any mount in such cosmetic barrel condition.
Too bad it is missing the original hood and front cap.

How many of these were made in Contax mount?
Rotoloni doesn't state numbers apart from 2000 pcs total, ~1500 in Nikon S mount and the rest in LTM and Contax mount.
LTM versions are often stated to have been made in the high ~300 samples.

… so is the Contax mount 8.5 f1.5 the rarest of them all?

 

[jonmanjiro]

Rotoloni doesn't state numbers apart from...

He does in his latest book, Dirk (you need to get that one 😉). 685 in S-mount, 489 in Leica mount, and 179 in Contax mount.

… so is the Contax mount 8.5 f1.5 the rarest of them all?

Yep!

 

[menos]

Thanks Jon, I had a hunch why the edition I bought was so low priced - I got to update but am hanging on to old stuff ;-)

Just 179 pcs !!! Then I must say either collectors are not very hot on Nikon glass for their Contaxes or this is quite a bargain, being not more expensive than a similar condition LTM sample.

About that other thing - we had yesterday the highest temps recorded in almost 150 years in Shanghai, so not much testing done yet apart from oogling and mouthwatering and … ;-)

 

[richardHaw]

you do not see them that often 😱😱😱

Leica ones are easier to find but the 8.5/1.5 is already rare to begin with 🙄