Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/12/28

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] year end mad dash to spend $$$ or pay taxes on it
From: sethrosner at nycap.rr.com (Seth Rosner)
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:59:00 -0500

Mark Rabiner wrote:

 

"I also remember that my Leica glass I got in the 90's are worth twice  now
than what I paid for them.
Nikon Zero.
Not what I'd call a close call."

 

My 35/2,8 Summaron listed for $103. when introduced in 1958. But the dealer
would give a 10% discount against a fictitious "trade-in", cost: $93. Today
a clean specimen sells for $750.-900., if mint, over $1,000. One reason why
Dante was so far off base contending that the only way Leitz sold M3's was
because people wanted them to use their Japanese lenses on. Wrong. The
overwhelming majority, close to 100% of Leica M3's, M2's and M4's, were sold
with at least one Leitz lens, almost invariably either 35mm or 50mm. Only
David Doulgas Duncan, who discovered the Nikkor 50/1,4 during the Korea
conflict, and a few of his colleagues, bought those lenses to use on their
M3's. Along with photojournalists who bought second and third Leica bodies
to use with their Leitz lenses. 

 

Seth