This Leica O-Series camera, of which only 25 were made, sold last week for €2.4 million, including 20% buyer’s premium — officially the highest price paid for a camera and more than twice the top estimate of €900,000. Prices at the 32nd Westlicht auction were buoyant, especially for Leica.
In the above video you can relive the moment when the Leica 0-Series sold for a world-record camera price. Among the luminaries glimpsed in the clip are British dealer Peter Loy, Leica expert and retailer, Lars Netopil from Wetzlar and Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Managing Director of Leica Camera AG
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Also of great interest was this Leica M3 Prototype which went under the hammer for €540,000, including buyer’s premium. Extremely rare, this camera with the serial number 0040 is in almost mint condition and in perfect working order. There were several other large six-figure Leica items sold and it is clear that Asian and other big bidders are back in the running.
A little nearer to reality, but only just, was the €48,000 paid for this Leica M262 RED camera and 50mm Apo-Summicron RED prototype. A second RED Apo-Summicron (below), one of the 100 production lenses released in 2016, fetched an even more remarkable €54,000.
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I did participate in the auction online last Saturday and won the only item (a relatively modest one) that I bid on. I usually only participate in auctions online when I see something of interest coming up. I only attended the Westlicht Auction in person once. That was the special one held in Wetzlar for the 100th anniversary of the Leica and the opening of the new Leica facility in 2014. I bid on one item at that auction, but I bowed out when the price started to get a bit silly, which can happen at auctions. It is always wise to know your limits and to stick to them.
William
Never a truer word said – know you limits and know when to get out. Good advice.
You should have been there William – now that would have been a story had you won!