At the risk of disappointing you, this World of Leica Auctions article has no astronomical sales figures. There are no special editions made for an actor, or for the Pope. It’s not about black paint Leica M cameras or the 100-year-old Leica I (Model A) camera with fixed 50mm Elmax f/3.5 lens, or other super-high-ticket items for which the Leica auction space and Tamarkin Auctions are known.
Sure, this year our auction block saw and sold a Leica MP from 1957, as well as a Leica IIIc Grey “K” camera belonging to early champion of the Leica system, Dr. Paul Wolff. We also sold a very rare Hong Q “Red Flag” and 50mm Compur Summicron sets.
But for me, the most fascinating stuff — the real treasures one finds at Auction — are the most obscure and truly scarce items. The 2025 Auction Lots of Interest is all about these odd ducks.
The Detrola “400” Camera
Lot 304. The Detrola “400” Camera: Made in Detroit circa 1939. These cameras are extremely difficult to find. Fitted with a 50mm Velostigmat f/3.5 lens, these American rangefinder cameras were never all that popular.
The International Detrola Corporation was a radio and record-player manufacturer based in Detroit, and using other brand names such as General, Pee Wee, Road Chief, Road Master and Warwick for the many products they made, mainly from Bakelite.
The Detrola “400” was a break from these cheaply made items and was modelled in metal, much of it die-cast, after the Leica rangefinder. It sold for a cool $69.50 back in 1940. I certainly hated to see this one go…
The Arnold Karma-Flex (Model 2)
Lot 303. The Arnold Karma-Flex (Model 2) twin lens camera: Just the name alone should sell this one (but alas, it did not!). Made in the late 1930s by Karl Arnold in Marienberg, Germany (Karl Arnold Marienberg), this 127 roll film camera features two shutters which open when the shutter release is depressed. This allows the 75mm Victar f/3.5 lenses to capture your photograph. A sort of quasi-SLR in a bizarre shape makes the Karma-Flex one of my favourites this year.
A very rare Zeiss Jena 50mm Biotar f/1.4 T lens
Lot 334. A very rare Zeiss Jena 50mm Biotar f/1.4 T lens in original Leica screw mount, in heavy chrome mount. This one appears to be unique; I’d never seen anything quite like this Biotar, but, like a bloodhound, I knew in a second that it was desirable. We began the Lot at $1,000 and before long, a savvy buyer snapped it up for a cool $8,250 (before Buyer’s Premium). I wonder if I’ll see another someday…
Leica I-III conversion, Nr. 245
Lot 312. Leica I-III conversion, Nr. 245: Made in 1925 as a Leica I (Model A) camera, Leica Nr. 245 would be a $100,000 camera if it had not been upgraded to a silver chromed Leica III (Model F) in June 1960. Now a handsome Leica III with a gorgeous patina on its vulcanite, this camera is far rarer than an original Leica from 1925!
So few remain today that it seems increasingly difficult to find one of these Umbau (conversion) cameras than it is to find an original Anastigmat camera! Really, you’d just need to wait for an auction cycle or two, and save up your 100,000s of dollars to get the Anastigmat.
Good luck finding the Umbau that’s 100 years old. A collector of early Leica cameras overseas won this camera, and I hope he displays it. Leica Nr. 245 is a treasure for any Leica aficionado, and I’d like visitation rights, please.
NAJOB
Lot 310: Extremely difficult to find, and very easy to lose. These always get my attention. This Leitz 20x aplanatic loupe, code named NAJOB, was made in the 1950-60s. Engraved simply “Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Germany”, these little magnifiers were made typically in chrome finish and this one arrived in its adorable leather case.
I’d never seen an NAJOB “in the wild” before. The bloodhound in me kicked in, and I told the owner that this will sell, and sell big. We started the Lot at $400, and it went up to $1,100 (before Buyer’s Premium). While this item would not fit into my personal collection, regardless I salivate when I find something I have not yet held in my own hands.
“One never knows, Do one?”
We had so many historic and fascinating (and pretty!) Leica cameras in this last auction, that I was getting increasingly excited as auction day neared, and hopeful for my consignors. In years past, wartime and early Leica collectibles such as these would all have sold – each and every one – and sold at handsome prices.
This year, however, many of these historic Leica cameras and lenses did not sell. So, in 2026 we’ll hold two auctions, exposing for sale historic and interesting Leica and other rarities, in the hopes that the market shows interest. It just goes to show that the marketplace is a living, evolving entity that holds discovery even for someone as steeped in it as I am: as the great Fats Waller once quipped, “One never knows, Do one?”
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