I was looking at a "Leica DRP" with a serial number of 486553, and wondering when this was made, and what kind of a Lieca is this. Is this one of the III series? The seller implies it came into NYC on or about 1925. I figure it much later. It comes with a Summaron 35/3.5. Anyone have a clue? By the way, thanks Jack for all the lens test you have been doing; makes good reading down here on a hot day.

Paul Nelson

-- Paul Nelson (clrfarm@comswest.net.au), March 11, 2001

Answers

According to Stephen Gandy's webpage on Leica Screw Mount Serial Numbers, it should be a IIIc produced in 1949/50. There's also more info in this tread: http://greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a- fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=004PYQ.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), March 11, 2001.

Oops! Wrong thread there, sorry! The thread I was looking is the one that explains the historical meaning of the "DRP" marking on Leica cameras (it stands for "Deutsche Reich Patent"). Perhaps other users of this forum will help. Cheers.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), March 11, 2001.

This is a post-WWII Leica IIIc. Serial numbers 48000-49500 Hove refers to 1949/50.

-- Victor Randin (www.ved@enran.com.ua), March 12, 2001.