Which Leica M is worth more?

[Wetzlarfan]

I have an excellent (with one small dent) condition M3 with serial number over 1.1 million. It has the original "L" seal and everything works, but all of the controls feel sticky, i.e., it could use a CLA (No big surprise). If I were to sell it, would you be willing to pay more for a sticky camera with the "L" seal or (at least $200.00 more) for one with a recent CLA? Thanks.

 

[Wouter]

I think the L seal isn't worth much ... unless you have a rare camera which is not your case. Better have it cla-ed by a reknown repairperson, that will increase its value for sure.

 

[---f]

you could also list it for $200 less. Put it in the classifieds here on RFF and see what you're offered. Start at $600 USD

 

[helen.HH]

The L seal would be of no Interest to me
depends on your Pricing ...I could go either way
Buy a Camera knowing its Faults & Needs
OR
Buying a Camera recently CLA'd with Proof of CLA Work
😉

 

[bondipix]

Get the cla done and it would be worth the extra $200 to the buyer for sure. If it were a completely mint M3, boxed etc. it might be worth preserving the L seal, but as a user the cla makes sense.

 

[Rayt]

My repair guy used to work for Leica and he has his own L seal and in fact he applied the seal when he cleaned my M3 a few years ago.

 

[karlori]

I think one of my M3's had an S on it - could be Sherry I never asked. The seal Isn't worth much to an user. And if the camera is not a special series or something I doubt it holds a lot of value to a collector.

 

[John Lawrence]

My repair guy used to work for Leica and he has his own L seal and in fact he applied the seal when he cleaned my M3 a few years ago.

I've known one or two repairers who did this - and even some who had copies of the L seal made and offered to apply it if you sent the camera to them. Apparently it was to 'preserve the integrity' of the camera! 🙄

John

 

[n5jrn]

The CLA'ed one, of course!

The CLA'ed one, of course!

I'm planning to buy a used M in the coming year, and I'm going to be buying it to use, not to stick in in front of a magnifying glass and admire an intact L seal.

 

[santela]

My repair guy used to work for Leica and he has his own L seal and in fact he applied the seal when he cleaned my M3 a few years ago.

Shows exactly how worthless the L seal is.

 

[raid]

A prospective buyer usually wants a no-problem camera, which makes a CLA a good choice for the M3.

 

[rover]

Neither the L seal nor 1.1m is worth a penny if the camera isn't 100% mint cosmetically and mechanically. eBay most likely would prove me wrong, but that is a crap shoot.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I have an excellent (with one small dent) condition M3 with serial number over 1.1 million. It has the original "L" seal and everything works, but all of the controls feel sticky, i.e., it could use a CLA (No big surprise). If I were to sell it, would you be willing to pay more for a sticky camera with the "L" seal or (at least $200.00 more) for one with a recent CLA? Thanks.

I'm gonna buck the trend here as I am currently looking for an M3 SS in excellent condition. I would be more interested in the camera without a CLA, as there are certain repair techs who service the Leica M cameras who I trust, and certain repair techs who I wouldn't want to work on a camera I need to have working properly. I would rather send the camera to one of my trusted techs than take a chance that the CLA was done by someone who's work I don't think measures up. (And before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, I'm a trained Arriflex motion picture camera tech and have talked shop with many of the Leica repair techs in the States. Some of them I have been very impressed with, and some of them I felt didn't really know what they were doing. And they all will remain nameless.)

So a non-CLA'd camera is what I would be looking for.

Best,
-Tim

 

[raid]

The seller benefits from having a CLA done, while a potential buyer (here and there) may prefer a $200 reduction in cost without a CLA. That's basically "it". A careful choise of the person who will do the CLA could be the important factor. Then, you would be able to claim "M3 just CLA'd by Sherry Krauter or DAG", and the M3 will be sold easily.

Decide what works better for you, and go for it.

 

[Timmyjoe]

An M3 that had a full CLA from Sherry or DAG I would seriously consider purchasing.

Best,
-Tim

 

[---f]

I bought the lovely patina'd M4-2 recently off of RFF, and even though it had been "cla'd" it was a mess. I had to get it redone. All the high speeds were off from tension being set improperly. AND the film advance stopped working. Local guy figured the previous tech was "sweating" trying to do the patch up job. Anyways, Horst got it all going smoothly.

it's all working nicely now, but goes to show, just cause it's been serviced, doesn't mean it works.

 

[250swb]

Got to agree with rover, it has a dent so its not mint and collectible, it has sticky controls so it isn't a user, so the 'L' seal means nothing.

Steve

 

[Wetzlarfan]

Thanks to everyone, not only for your answers, but for the rationale behind them. It looks like it comes down to selling it now and letting the new owner decide on the quality of the CLA, or having a good one done (the only kind I'd do) if I were to decide to use it for awhile. In the latter case, I'd end up splitting the cost of the CLA with the buyer , but I'd have a sweet user in the meantime.

 

[Araakii]

I think the value of getting one that's been recently CLAed is that you know exactly how much you are paying. If I get one that really requires CLA, I have no idea how much the CLA will cost.

 

[amyukie]

If it is CLA'd by Sherry, it is worth even more...