Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/31
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]There has been some discussion recently on the price of Leicas in days gone by. The following prices are from the March 1960 Leica catalogue & price list. They are in the old UK currency of pounds/shillings/pence, and I’ve calculated an approximate dollar equivalent by assuming that one UK pound = $3 Leica IIIg with 50mm f2.8 Elmar 88/11/00 $265 Leica M2 with 50mm f2 Summicron 138/8/6 $414 Leica M3 with 50mm f1.4 Summilux 184/2/7 $522 21mm f4 Super Angulon 87/18/2 $264 35mm f2 Summicron 63/2/11 $189 50mm f2.8 Elmar 22/13/10 $67 50mm f2 Summicron dual-range 66/6/6 $198 50mm f1.4 Summilux 76/7/9 $229 90mm f4 Elmar 33/11/5 $100 135mm f4.5 Hektor 49/11/1 $148 Just for the record, in 1960 in the UK an electronics technician would earn less than ten pounds ($30) a week. The second-hand Leica II body I bought around that time cost me 20 UK pounds ($60), while I could have bought a Compur Leica for 15 UK pounds ($45). In the mid-1960s, a mint condition second-hand IIIg + 2.8 Elmar cost me around 80 UK pounds ($190). The last time I saw one in that sort of condition recently, the price was 1,250 UK pounds ($2,000). Regards, Doug Richardson