Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/04/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ted and other interested parties: The inscription, in Cyrillic (Russian) said, NKVD - USSR. The NKVD was the precursor of the KGB. FED, the name of the camera, are the initials of the founder of the NKVD. He also built a factory that trained orphans in trades, which is why the camera bears his name. You can read the full story here: http://www.commiecameras.com/sov/35mmrangefindercameras/cameras/fed/index.htm (Marc James Small, please feel free to correct any inaccuracies). My own thoughts are that the top plate was much too shiny and unworn compared to the rest of the camera. So perhaps an enterprising Russian put a new top plate on an old camera. Also, since the NKVD was the secret police, why would they use a camera with their agency name on it. Then the owner wouldn't be secret anymore :-) Unless of course, such a camera was made for the bigwigs. Ted, please post or send me a photo of the top plate, and I'll ask Katya to translate the rest of the inscription. --Peter --Peter At 05:16 PM 4/11/2006 -0700, you wrote: >Subject: [Leica] RUSSIAN KGB leica?" >To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org> >Message-ID: <010201c65dc5$2cd513a0$73b56c18@ted> >Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; > reply-type=response > >Howdy Crew, >Hopefully someone out there in LUGLAND has some idea whether this is for >real or a phoney Russian KGB Leica knock off camera? > >Sunday at the Vancouver camera swap meet Peter Kline pointed out the >"Russian Leica" I had to sell was engraved with NKGB and some other Russian >script. Tom Abrahamsson suggested I should put it out of site until it could >be verified in some manner whether it was for real or not.