14.4 million euros! 1923 Leica 0-Series fetches record price at auction

A while ago, we told you about a Leica camera that belonged to Oskar Barnack, an engineer who is considered to be the founder of 35mm format photography, which was to go under the hammer at an auction. . This almost hundred-year-old model built in 1923 served as a model for the German firm’s modern cameras. The case had then been produced in only 23 copies, and it is estimated that only 12 still exist.

The starting price had been set at one million euros, and knowing that a similar device had finally been awarded at 2.4 million euros in 2018, specialists estimated that the box would be sold at the same price. However, a bidder knocked down all predictions by recovering the stake for 12 million euros on June 11, 2022 during the Leitz Photographic Auction! By integrating the commission of the auction house, the price rises to 14.4 million euros, or nearly 15 times the starting price.

A very high price for a device steeped in history but which will no doubt end up in a well-secured safe, unless the buyer wishes to display it behind a thick protective display case.