Re: [Leica] LEICA MD-22, A LEICA M4P 70TH ANNIVERSARY

[Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>]

ATLANTA, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- In what is believed to be the largest- ever
private sale of photographic equipment, KEH.com announced today that it has
purchased a collection containing thousands of cameras and lenses from a
California collector for more than $1.25 million. Included in the collection are
hundreds of rare and unusual vintage cameras. 
 Atlanta-based KEH, the largest used camera company in the world, acquired the
coveted collection from Brooke Gabrielson, a 55-year-old Newport Beach,
California, attorney and avid collector who has been buying photographic
equipment since his college days. A regular bidder at some of the largest and
most prestigious camera auctions in the world, Gabrielson amassed a collection
that filled an entire room in his house and totaled more than 1,500 cameras,
plus 3,000 lenses and accessories. The eclectic collection contains some very
rare pieces, including one-of-a-kind camera prototypes and commemorative edition
cameras and lenses, as well as current production cameras. 
 ><Snip> Also in the extensive collection are a ONE-OF-A-KIND LEICA MD-22, A
PROTOTYPE THAT WAS NEVER MANUFACTURED; a Rolleiflex that is one of only two
produced (the other is in the Rolleiflex museum in Germany); and a novelty
camera shaped like a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. KEH plans to sell the pieces
of the collection primarily on its Web site, KEH.com, Mulherin says. 
><Snip>  
 How do you handle such a unique, valuable collection of cameras and prepare
each item for sale? "Very carefully," explains Mulherin. The cameras and other
photographic items have been turned over to KEH's technical department for
careful examination, grading and cleaning. The Gabrielson collection is so large
that four of the seven people in the department have been assigned to work with
it. Because some of the equipment is so delicate, KEH restricts the number of
people allowed to touch it. Wearing white cotton gloves to prevent any damage to
the cameras, the technical staff is in the process of studying each piece in the
collection, comparing it with the inventory list, grading it, and in some cases,
combining pieces for sale together. For example, THE COLLECTION INCLUDES A LEICA
M4P CAMERA PRODUCED IN 1983 TO COMMEMORATE LEICA'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY. IN A
SEPARATE BOX THAT HAD NEVER BEEN OPENED, KEH DISCOVERED THREE COMMEMORATIVE
LENSES TO ACCOMPANY THE CAMERA. KEH will package the camera and lenses together
for sale. 
 ><Snip> 
 As for Gabrielson, he says he doesn't miss his roomful of cameras. However, he
admits that on the day he sold the collection to KEH he strolled into a store in
Carmel and bought another camera.

	from the newswires I made some of the stuff in UPPERCASE
	Mark Rabiner