Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/06/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> Would you have any information on an old Leica model number 257372. > a gold range finder model finished in lizard skin. > I would be interested in the age & whether it is a commemorative model. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - --------------------------- At a recent So. CA Camera show, I purchased several pretty but faux gold plated Russian copies for under $175* each. All are copies of model II (D) (S/N 257041*). The seller told me that they are not gold plated but just highly polished brass that has been lacquered and the world market is flooded with them. They are engraved Leica - DRB - Ernst Leitz Wetzlar and are being sold as souvenirs; some even have more exotic engravings like "Luftwaffen Eigentum" with reichstadler. Lenses are all 50/3.5 Elmars* and some have snake or lizard skin covers & fake Leica lthr cases. Actually I haven' t taken any pictures with them yet as I bought them to give away for Xmas presents. I understand that the auctions like eBay have sold 100s of them in prices from $95.00 to $200.00 with lthr case. The Leica mod II(D) has always been a favorite with the Russians (USSR) to copy -- and these all look so new that they must have been made very recently as compared to the many made even before WW2. Leically, Mary (de Milo)*