raid
Dad Photographer
raid
Dad Photographer
They also have a Rollex watch for $150,000. It was President Saddam Hussein's favorite watch.
Do you also have a watch by Elvis?
Do you also have a watch by Elvis?
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
You'd think a guy like Saddam would have something nicer...lol He and his family enriched themselves on the backs of Iraq's people....he could afford a leica!
raid
Dad Photographer
The Iraqi Women Union used Hasselblad cameras.
erikhaugsby
killer of threads
Do you have a link to the site, Raid?
gb hill
Veteran
I would like to see the website. In 1980 I was homeported in Bahrain for about a year. back then it was $3.47 to 1 dinar pronounced dee-nar I'm not sure of the spelling. Anyhow I bartered with the locals and bought some beautiful gold jewlery. 18k necklace that I brought back to my mom. Cheap! But electronics! forget it. Way to expensive then. I wish I would have priced cameras then just to see what they would have brought. But that was 27 years ago & I had my Canon AE-1. I know this has gotten off topic of Saddam's camera but reading about it brought back memories of a wonderful people that I grew to admire a great deal. I just wish I would have taken more pictures. Besides with the weak U.S.$ it would probably be close to $3000 to buy a camera over there.
raid
Dad Photographer
http://www.wihaib.com/02_personally_used_items.htmerikhaugsby said:
gb hill
Veteran
Interesting website. The old folder camera is interesting also.
navilluspm
Well-known
I have a Yashica FR like Jim. I believe mine belonged to Sadam Hussein before he traded up for the FR I. It is in (ebay terms) mint condition! I still use it, but I would be willing to part with it for $1000. I'll even throw in my ML 28mm and YUS 135mm (which, all jesting aside, are actually decent lenses). I think the YUS I have was a gift from the CIA for Sadam once he came into power, at least this is what the ebay seller told me.
navilluspm
Well-known
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
What do you mean? Everyone knows that Yashica's are the hidden gem of the photo industry! This shows his intelligence: he saw through western, imperialist propaganda. He shows that he firmly believed: it is not the camera, but the photographer!
Yes, I may never own a camera that the queen of England used (aka. a Leica) but at least I can say with pride: "If a Yashica FR is good enough for oil rich billionare dicator, then I will wear my FR with pride because it is good enough for me!"
gb hill
Veteran
I wonder also what kind of weed Saddam might of smoked in those pipes.
David Goldfarb
Well-known
When the great leader was using the old folder, his advisors would ask him, "Is that a Hasselblad?" to amuse and flatter him. He always got a good laugh out of that.
dexdog
Veteran
Raid, this is just sad. Even if there is provenance connecting these items to Saddam, who would want to buy this stuff? If genuine, these items belong in an Iraqi government archive.
raid
Dad Photographer
dexdog said:
Mark,
I share your concerns.
My own thoughts:
This is part of the Iraqi history, whether it was a horrible dictator or a nice grandfather figure. As an Iraqi President, his remaining items should be left for the future Iraqi generations. There is a movement to eliminate any Iraqi history, starting with the plundering of the Iraqi Museum.
Thank God that others have plundered before and now many Iraqi historical artifacts are stored safely in European museums. I will make sure that my children will never forget.
It is a crime what is being done.
40oz
...
let's be fair, Raid. The "plundering of the Iaqi Museum" took place after the curators removed the bulk of the items to other locations for safekeeping. What was left was empty cases and small items that were of lesser value and importance. So when the soldiers and press arrived, the place was stripped clean. Leaving an imprepression that all items had been stolen.
Scroll down for the real story "From Tragedy to Farce": http://www.museum-security.org/03/093.html
Saddam acquired his belongings on the backs of the people. Selling them off on ebay might not ensure the "proper" people get their due, but it is hardly any worse than their original acqusition, and far from "erasing history." And I somehow don't feel that a Yashica onced owned by a dictator of Iraq is a historically important artifact.
Scroll down for the real story "From Tragedy to Farce": http://www.museum-security.org/03/093.html
Saddam acquired his belongings on the backs of the people. Selling them off on ebay might not ensure the "proper" people get their due, but it is hardly any worse than their original acqusition, and far from "erasing history." And I somehow don't feel that a Yashica onced owned by a dictator of Iraq is a historically important artifact.
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raid
Dad Photographer
40oz said:
No, I am afraid that you have it wrong here. I have seen a one-hour documentary on the role of organzied criminal activities in stealing and marketing many artifacts. London University (Imperial College) has been implicated in receiving 3000 such Iraqi pieces for documentation. The person (a billionaire) who loaned Imperial College this stolen collection now has filed a law suit to get back the pieces. Imperial College is trying to distance itself from this blunder. Each piece tripples in resale value if it has documentation of its age and translationof the scripture on it.
People at the highest levels took part in smuggeling out (via Jordan) pieces that cannot be replaced. Many were of the Nabu Khuthnassr era from Babylon.
xayraa33
rangefinder user and fancier
I would imagine a documented Leica or Contax camera once owned by Hitler will sell for a lot of money now in certain countries.
rogue_designer
Reciprocity Failure
so... I'm confused. Buying (consuming) is pro-american. But Saddam was (supposedly) anti-american. Does buying his camera end up being anti, or is it a null sum kinda thing?
But seriously, in principle, I agree with you, Raid. This item, and many others like it, should remain in Iraq.
But seriously, in principle, I agree with you, Raid. This item, and many others like it, should remain in Iraq.
raid
Dad Photographer
rogue_designer said:so... I'm confused. Buying (consuming) is pro-american. But Saddam was (supposedly) anti-american. Does buying his camera end up being anti, or is it a null sum kinda thing?
But seriously, in principle, I agree with you, Raid. This item, and many others like it, should remain in Iraq.
It is not an issue of a low cost camera or another item, but it is removal of the history. I am more concerned about the artifacts that were sumggled out and sold illegally to several dealers.
I recall visiting a museum in Baghdad in which old cars of the last King of Iraq were displayed. Now these were really cool. One of those cars was a Mercedes coupe with extra wide platforms on the sides of the car. The car was equipped with "state of the art" shocks at the time,so that the King could sit on a stool OUTSIDE the car while the car was chasing some animals in hunting season. The special shocks allowed the King to aim and shoot without much distirbuance. MB only made two such cars, with only one still being intact. At least, it was intact in 1981 before I left.
At one time, Daimler offered two hundred new MB cars for this car.
It is a part of Iraqi history; I was a young man who would admire the cars, and then I would try to imagine the King sitting there with a rifle. If Saddam Hussein or any of the previous Presidents had destroyed such "left-overs" from the King, we would have been denied such thoughts.
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Pherdinand
the snow must go on
raid said:
Well you can certainly shoot much bigger with a hasselblad 6x6 than with a yashica 35mm. That Saddam guy was not that good after all.