My book has a picture of a Retina 1b, but doesn't even list a Retinette 1b. It does mention a Retinette 1a - which was a non- folding type. Here is a picture of the Retina 1b.
Kodak Retina 1b
This shows it to be a folding model - so you should ask your friend if it folds or not.
But.. for two lousy quid I'd pick this think up in a heartbeat!
These are all German made cameras marketed by Kodak. The various forms of the Retina were from the 30's all the way to the 60's. You want to make sure the camera cocks & winds properly. I used to repair these things and the most common problem with the Retina line was a small part called the cocking rack. This rack would often strip and the camera could no longer be wound or cocked. The only fix is to replace the cocking rack - and they were very hard to find. Once I found a dozen of them - I used them to fix Retinas inside of a 4 month period - and mine was a small shop!
Des
-- Dan Desjardins (dan.desjardins@avstarnews.com), June 20, 2000.