Rare reportage camera sells for 600,000 euros, 1938 Leica exceeds estimate tenfold

Leica cameras from the 1950s ranked among the most coveted highlights of Leitz Photographica Auction 48, held on 13th June at World of Leica in Wetzlar. On June 13, at Leica Welt in Wetzlar, the Leica MP-33 (produced in 1957) was auctioned for 600,000 euros including premium, while the Leica Ig Prototype No. 750000 (ca. 1955) achieved 540,000 euros including premium. The biggest surprises of the morning included a Leica IIIb black paint from 1938, which sold for 312,000 euros including premium — nearly ten times its estimated value — as well as the Leica MP 10323 ‘Meister Edition Berlin’ Outfit from 2017. Estimated at 26,000 to 30,000 euros, the comparatively young model ultimately sold for 132,000 euros including premium. The charity lot, the Leica MP10-P Safari prototype (2018), raised 16,000 euros for a good cause.

“We are delighted to see — and also take it as confirmation of the intensive work carried out over recent years — that enthusiasm for historic cameras and historic camera accessories remains as strong as ever,” says Alexander Sedlak, Managing Director of Leitz Photographica Auction. According to Sedlak, rarities and special editions are also increasingly in demand among more recent models. While rare cameras that appeal as both collectors’ items and potential investment pieces can already be acquired at auction for four-figure euro sums, it is still the cameras in the five- and six-figure range that generate the greatest attention. Leading the highlights of the Leitz Photographica Auction 48 was the Leica MP33.

Rarity in black paint

With only 402 units – just 141 of them in black paint – ever produced, the “M Professional” (MP) ranks among the rarest Leica cameras ever made. The concept originated from requests by prominent American press photographers such as Alfred Eisenstaedt and David Douglas Duncan who sought to combine their M-series cameras with the advantages of the Leicavit rapid winder, then available only for the Leica IIIf. The example sold at Leitz Photographica Auction 48, MP no. 33, was originally delivered to Brandt, Sweden, on 29 July 1957 and was accompanied by a matching black paint Leicavit and a black paint / brass-mount Summicron 2/5cm lens no. 1474885. The Leica MP-33 was auctioned for 600,000 euros including premium.

Experimental prototype with special serial number 

Representing a fascinating stage in the evolution of the screw-mount Leica line during the early 1950s, the Leica Ig prototype no.750000 holds a fascinating place in the history of photography. Produced circa 1953, this unique experimental camera features a completely distinctive top plate design, combining stylistic and construction elements of the Leica Ic, If and Ig models into a single transitional configuration. The pronounced raised flash platform — unlike the standard flat-top production Ig – gives the camera its characteristic appearance. Its special, round serial number 750000, makes the camera particularly interesting for collectors, which already became evident in the pre-auction bidding stage. The prototype was sold for 540,000 euros including premium.

Leica IIIb black paint

The Leica IIIb was produced between 1938 and 1941 and is normally encountered in chrome finish. It is documented at the Leica Archives that only five examples, serial numbers 295301–295305, were produced in black paint and supplied to New York on 3 September 1938 under the codename “LUDOO schwarz.” The camera was offered with a Leitz Summar 2/5cm lens, serial no.496615, and a special black leather case, featuring the correct small 1/4" tripod screw as supplied for this rare camera. The Leica IIIb Black Paint ultimately achieved 312,000 euros and thus almost ten times its estimate of 32,000 to 36,000 euros.