[Leica] Identifying Leica screw mount cameras

[jhnichols at lighttube.net (Jim Nichols)]

Larry,

I can't answer your basic question about internal markings, because I have 
never taken one of mine apart.  However, aside from the exact date of the 
parts, which can vary, your camera must be made up of IIIc or later parts. 
As you probably recall, the case and construction was altered considerably 
when the IIIc was created.  The body is 1/8 inch longer, and the lens flange 
is no longer a circular flange, so the earlier parts would not fit into your 
hybrid assembly.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <lrzeitlin at aol.com>
To: <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2009 6:38 PM
Subject: [Leica] Identifying Leica screw mount cameras


> I asked this question before but I never got a definitive answer. Leica 
> cameras within a model series are identified by the serial number engraved 
> on the top plate. I have plenty of tables which show serial numbers by 
> year. But are there any markers or engravings inside a Leica screw mount 
> camera which will tell precisely the model and the date of manufacture? 
> The reason - I often delve into the debris of photo store junk boxes to 
> see what hidden jewels I can find. Once in a while I come across a non 
> functional old Leica, often dented, marred, or otherwise damaged. I even 
> found one that had a bullet hole through it (no questions asked). I've 
> managed to assemble a few working cameras from this random collection of 
> parts. My favorite, user camera, a Leica IIIc, is a hybrid assembled from 
> four junkers, the top plate from one, the body casing from another, the 
> works from a third, and the base plate from the fourth. I don't remember 
> which camera the knobs came from. The serial nu
> mber on the top plate 415xxx indicates that it was made in '46/47 but I'm 
> sure that some of the parts are newer and some older. In any event, I know 
> that some cameras in the '46/47 period were assembled by Leica itself out 
> of spare parts. So if I sold this camera, is there any way that someone 
> could tell, other than looking at the top plate serial number when it was 
> made. Conversely, if an unscrupulous individual replaced the top plate 
> with one from a rarer camera, say a Luftwaffe model or a Kreigs Marine 
> model, could it be detected as a fraud. No evil intentions, just asking.
>
> Larry Z
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