Hi,

Saw this on eBay and don't know what to think of it: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1294712017. It's claimed to be vintage, then again the serial no. 20020 appears to be incredibly low (looks like a II according to the Leica handbook, which gives serial no.s starting from 71500 ...) and the brass finishing doesn't look very vintage either. Any clues? Thanks.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), November 17, 2001

Answers

Fake

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), November 17, 2001.

The gold brass rather than chrome parts suggest it could be Russian to my eye, but I'm no expert. They say the lens is in great condition, but it appears to be missing the infinity lock pin. The aperture setting tab (there must be a proper term for this thingy) also appears to be missing. And if the lens is screwed in all the way, there's a bit of a problem, as the infinity lock is at the ten o'clock position when it should be at about the 7 o'clock position - unless they screwed in differently on those early II's.

The serial number is probably your best clue. Is it possible that its a I converted to a II?

-- Bill Macintire (wlmacintire@msn.com), November 17, 2001.

Sorry--you wanted clues, too. The threaded shutter release, the oversize left (from the front) RF window ring, the model itself, which is the basic Russian one all these fakes originate with, the "gold", which is probably polished brass; the vendor, a pawnbroker who tells you he's not going to take it back, and the fact that it's not getting any bids.

Type gold leica into the ebay search window, and watch what turns up.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), November 17, 2001.

Fake. The top plate is wrong: the top edge of the viewfinder window is flush with the rest of the top plate. Compare with http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=129694 4947.

-- Douglas Herr (telyt@earthlink.net), November 17, 2001.

Hey, good eye for detail on the viewfinder window - notice it has a screw in it, but it does not seem to actually be removable.

-- Bill Macintire (wlmacintire@msn.com), November 17, 2001.

Those silly russkies...

-- Dave Doyle (soilsouth@home.com), November 17, 2001.

There's a half dozen or so websites where you can buy as many of these as you would want for about $150.00 a piece.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), November 17, 2001.

Yes, the viewfinder frontplate is the number 1 giveaway. Both the shutter dial and the shutter collar seem too big, and the lens looks wrong. Also, possibly, script should read "Leica, Ernst Leitz, Wetzlar, DRP", not "Leica, DRP, Ernst Leitz, Wetzlar", though Leitz did vary this. The script also looks too large.

-- David Killick (Dalex@inet.net.nz), November 17, 2001.

This is the FED home-made (painted, gold plated and engraved) to be looking like a Leica II. The lens is FED F3.5 50mm (Industar-22). Such fakes are illegitimate. There are plenty differences between such a fake and an original Leica II : a material and texture of body shell covering, a triangle shape lever of an RF-arm instead of roller, aperture leafs are placed between second and third elements, a form of releasing flat spring and design of a breaks, and much more others being inside.

-- Victor Randin (ved@enran.com.ua), November 18, 2001.

And the eveready case is another giveaway, shouting 'I'm a fake' all over.

-- Oliver Schrinner (piraya@hispavista.com), November 18, 2001.

Thanks, experts!

It's good to have your advice. The "no bids" observation gave me the most to think about. In fact, it should be a real hard one to snatch a find on ebay with all of you out there! ;o) Cheers.

-- Lutz Konermann (lutz@konermann.net), November 19, 2001.

Compare the eBay Leica with this: http://www.camerasruss ian.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv? Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=R001&Category_Code=004b.

-- Hoyin Lee (leehoyin@hutchcity.com), November 19, 2001.