Leica 0-Series No. 103 Sells for €4.25M at Wetzlar Camera Auctions
During the eighth Wetzlar Camera Auctions on October 10, a 1923 Leica 0-Series camera, with the serial number 103, fetched €4,250,000 (approximately $4.75 million), surpassing its estimated value of €2 million following a 20-minute bidding contest. Only 16 Leica 0-Series cameras are known to exist. Lars Netopil, a co-owner of WCA, highlighted the camera's historical importance. The auction included 259 items, featuring a handmade Leica Model A prototype that sold for €225,000, a gold-plated Leica I Model C "Luxus" for €375,000, and a 1965 Leica M4 prototype also for €375,000. Additionally, non-Leica offerings included a 1968 Soviet-era Arsenal Salyut 1V space camera and a 1970 Nikon Fish-Eye Nikkor lens, both achieving €75,000. The full catalog is available online.
Key facts
- A 1923 Leica 0-Series camera, serial number 103, sold for €4,250,000 (about $4.75 million) at Wetzlar Camera Auctions on Saturday, October 10.
- The sale price was more than double the pre-auction estimate of €2 million, following a 20-minute bidding war.
- Only 16 Leica 0-Series cameras are known to survive, all held in museums and private collections.
- The Leica 0-Series cameras were prototypes leading to the Leica I, Leica's first commercially available 35mm camera.
- A handmade Leica Model A prototype sold for €225,000 (nearly $251,500).
- A gold-plated Leica I Model C "Luxus" from 1931 sold for €375,000 ($419,184); fewer than 100 were produced, with only two of this specific model made.
- A 1968 Soviet-era Arsenal Salyut 1V space camera sold for €75,000 (nearly $84,000).
- A 1970 Nikon Fish-Eye Nikkor 6.2mm f/5.6 prototype lens with a 220-degree field of view sold for €75,000.
Entities
Artists
- Lars Netopil
- Jo Geier
Institutions
- Leica
- Wetzlar Camera Auctions
- NASA
Locations
- Wetzlar
- Germany