ICYMI: Oscar Barnack’s Prototype Leica Sold For $14.4 million

Oskar Barnack Leica "0" #105

A prototype Leica “0” camera (#105) that belonged to Oscar Barnack, inventor of the Leica series, crushed previous auction records as well as the pre-auction estimates. The camera, auctioned at the Leitz Photographica Auction on June 13, 2022, sold for 12 million euros (hammer price) and 14 million euros when the buyer’s premium is included. The total is around $14.4 million U.S. dollars, making it the world’s most expensive 35mm camera. The pre-auction estimate was between 2 and 3 million euros, and the previous high sale price was 2.4 million euros for a Leica “0” prototype (#122) sold in March 2018 at WestLicht’s auction in Vienna.

Details about the sale are available online at Barron’s and the Leitz auction site.

For more information on the Leica prototype cameras, you can find two articles about them on our site. The first is a detailed description of the Ur-Leica camera invented by Oscar Barnack in 1913. You can also find the saga of one industrious PHSNE member’s quest to build a DIY-version of the Ur-Leica out of various original, salvaged, and custom-made parts. FYI, the name Leica became the brand when the first production cameras were developed, derived from a combination of Leitz (the manufacturer) and camera.

Ur-Leica

The Ur-Leica: Primeval, Primitive, Original, Earliest Leica

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July 2020: No Meeting; Newsletter Exchange Started

There was no PHSNE meeting scheduled for July 2020. See the July 2020 PHSNE email newsletter for updates here. A newsletter exchange program among photo history groups got underway in June, with a number of newsletters shared among member groups

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To the Dealers, Attendees, PHSNE Staff, Volunteers and the NNHS: 

THANK YOU!

You made PHOTOGRAPHICA 90 the best EVER!

Our 50th Anniversary Year Celebration Will Continue Throughout 2023

PHSNE May Meeting: Bernie Zelitch “Discovers” Lowell Photographer Annie Powell

Sunday, May 7, 2023 7:30PM on Zoom


June Meeting: PEM Curator Stephanie Tung

Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 7:30PM on Zoom

Give Us Your Feedback on Photographica 90

Use the Contact Form


Support PHSNE on eBay 

Visit seller Mass495 for deals from PHSNE