A Leica store in the Netherlands has offered for sale four rare collectors’ edition Leica M6s produced for the 150th anniversary of the company which eventually became Leitz.
The cameras were produced in 1999, marking the 150th anniversary of Carls Kellner’s Optical Institute (forerunner of Leitz), and comprised 150 platinum-plated Leica M6s each inscribed with a different year from 1849 to 1999.
The cameras were split into five editions, each with a different lens: 1850-1879 had a 50mm f/2.8 Elmar-M; 1880-1909 had a 50mm f/2.0 Summicron-M; 1910-1939 had a 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M; 1940-1969 had a 35mm f2 Summicron-M; and 1970-1999 had a 35mm f1.4 Summilux-M.
The four cameras are being offered on the store’s eBay store for a Buy it Now price of $149,999 (£117,230/€130,320)
The listing by Leica Store Lisse says: “Offered to you is this extremely rare collection of 4 pieces (!!) of the Platinum LEICA M6’s ‘150 Jahre Optik’ editions which are all coming in their original box !!! Finding one of these might already be an impossible task, let alone if you have got 4 of them together!!
‘These are by far the rarest Leica M6 editions Leica has ever produced and only seldom offered. The collection of these 4 editions will not be offered separately and these are the details about them:
- Leica M6 Platinum 150 Jahre Optik + 50mm f/2.8 Elmar-M // with limited edition year: 1854
- Leica M6 Platinum 150 Jahre Optik + 50mm f/2.0 Summicron-M // with limited edition year: 1903
- Leica M6 Platinum 150 Jahre Optik + 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M // with limited edition year: 1926
- -Leica M6 Platinum 150 Jahre Optik + 35mm f/2 Summicron-M // with limited edition year: 1945
Leica Store Lisse said the camera should not be confused with the much more common Leica M6 Platinum 150 Years of Photography edition, which paired a platinum-plated M6 with a 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M. These were produced in 1989 and 1,000 were made.
The store said all four cameras are in “like new condition” and were a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.
The 150 Years edition are regarded as some of the most prized Leica M6 cameras for collectors; the most recent sale listed on camera valuing website Collectiblend notes an example which sold in May 2013 for nearly $21,000.
Leica Store Lisse notes that the cameras are available for export – but this may incur further cost due to import charges.
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In all reality is not a bad deal at all. An excellent value for the serious Leica collector. Somehow unique and special indeed. Heck, just for reference I should mention that a few years ago I sold the M9 Neiman Marcus edition for $ 24.975 and frankly at the time I should have ordered a couple more because I had several more “True” collectors interested. So this, being M6’s Platinum with all the extra specials are worth every penny.
As George says above, a good deal given the ‘bulk buy’ price.
Still, (for me at least) it would be pointless searching down the back of the sofa for lose change…