Got a spare £20,000 hanging around and want something unique? American photographer Ralph Nelson is offering to exchange his two sequentially-numbered M4s and lenses for a batch of current digital equipment with a rather modest price tag of £18,400. The full deal is listed in Leica Rumors today and it is well worth a read.
The two M4s have seen action all over the world in the 45 years since they were ordered. They come alongside three vintage lenses, 35, 50 and 90mm Summicrons, Nelson’s trademark holster leather cases, the original bills and supporting correspondence.
He doesn’t want to actually sell them and has come up with the novel subterfuge of giving them to a collector who is prepared to provide a set of equivalent modern Leica stuff. He’s after an M-P, Monochrom 246, and three current Summicrons, 35, 50 and 90mm. You can even instruct the Los Angeles Leica store to provide all these items and put them on your credit card.
All in all, bearing in mind the history of the equipment—which is slightly more authentic than the Lenny Kravitz Edition—the price isn’t bad. But if I were Ralph, I would have been inclined to upgrade the 50mm Summicron to the new Apo-Summicron. It would still have been a good deal. Get out your credit cards (if the offer hasn’t already been snapped up).
Dear Mike
It is nice to see that he got the cameras and lenses from Shannon Airport where the world’s first duty free shop opened in 1947. Duty free shops are still common but are not what they used to be as online sources can often give better value nowadays. No, I won’t be going in on the deal as just one black M4 would be enough for me! I already have a chrome one.
Best Wishes
William
It must have taken some organising, especially ensuring that the cameras were numbered consecutively. I can’t image getting that sort of service through Dixons these days. Even Leica would have problems, I think. I think the whole thing, the cameras, the lenses, cases and correspondence makes a very worthwhile collector’s piece and is probably worth the money.