What NOT to do with a FED!!

[Grytpype]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/gold-coloured-leica-camera-1936-olympics-berlin_W0QQitemZ160322976536

[martin.mintal]

This is an obvious fake - cannot understand, how anybody would be so stupid to bid for this camera :bang:.

[bolas]

I really love to look on those ebay wonders ! I think we should have here some topic like "The best of Ebay" with such wonders ... the best of all are those nazi-tunned ones ;)

This one is perfect :) "Alles fur Deutschland" copied from war time SS-Dagger ... ;)

[ray*j*gun]

Yuk........I like your idea Bolas.

[Mark Wood]

Well the seller does say:

"i have never seen anything like this in my life"

[Ronald_H]

I love these kitschy fakes. There are a number of websites I know of that show a few, mostly to show the difference between real Leicas and fakes. But why not make a gallery of the best specimens? A Flickr group would work as well.

Stephen Gandy has a number of his website, but those are pretty old. I have seen a few 'new' outrageous ones the last few years. I believe Stephen somewhere states that he is waiting for an 'Adolf loves Eva' version. That would be the ultimate in 'good' bad taste IMHO :D After al, she WAS a photographer.

Btw, I want to make it absolutely clear that I have NO sympathy whatsoever for the Nazi regime, I just like old cameras.

I would also include the fakes that pose as rare copies, like Reid & Sigrists and Chinese versions.

If I were a collector I'd probably collect them. You can buy a boatload of them for the price of one rare Leica after all :D

[Pickett Wilson]

I love these Leica knockoffs. Now, this one is pretty ugly, but I have a couple of fakes that are actually pretty well done. Since I bought them for $50 or $60, I can't understand how anyone makes anything off of them. Both I have clearly took quite a bit of work to change the markings.

Now, I don't support claiming a fake is the real thing, but as long as it's upfront, what the heck. The old FED's aren't bad cameras in their own right.

[Grytpype]

On second thoughts maybe I should have deleted the NOT in the title of this thread, considering the bids he/she is getting. There seems to be a pretty good living to be made butchering FEDs, as long as you do it really, really badly. I've seen Zorki-S "Leica" fakes that looked more genuine than this!

Nobody bids this much for a Leica fake, so are they shills or do they actually think it is a real one?

[David Hughes]

The gallery of Fed's and Zorkis from ebay would be a lot smaller and manageable if it only showed ones in good condition that worked and had a reasonable price tag on them. Seems to this old fool that every camera on ebay is rare, unique and vintage. Even ones that reached the 10, 11 or 12 million production figures...

Regards, David

[outfitter]

On second thoughts maybe I should have deleted the NOT in the title of this thread, considering the bids he/she is getting. There seems to be a pretty good living to be made butchering FEDs, as long as you do it really, really badly. I've seen Zorki-S "Leica" fakes that looked more genuine than this!

Nobody bids this much for a Leica fake, so are they shills or do they actually think it is a real one?

These, shall we call them Leica paraphrases, are avidly collected the more improbable the better. Different strokes for different folks but a great deal of craftsmanship goes into them.

Criticism should be reserved for the brilliant fakes made in Ukraine, Poland etc.; these you wont detect so easily and the prices are in four and five figures not three. This stuff has made collecting Leica rarities particularly treacherous. The same craft skills you see on the improbable creations can be applied to early Feds to produce something more sinister and far less tongue in cheek.

[cysasam]

Criticism should be reserved for the brilliant fakes made in Ukraine, Poland etc.; these you wont detect so easily and the prices are in four and five figures not three.

Ah, the "genuine fakes" , as a seller of Rolex copies call these better built...alternatives.

[Valkir1987]

A good Fed, that became a bad Leica in my opninion. Most of these camera's are put together from various parts of Fed and Zorki camera's. Parts are filed down to re-engrave and polish them, making the platework thinner and weaker. No better look, no better camera.

[Grytpype]

These, shall we call them Leica paraphrases, are avidly collected the more improbable the better. Different strokes for different folks but a great deal of craftsmanship goes into them.

Maybe there is a place for the more realistic fakes, provided they are based on the more common varieties, and not rarer/pre-war models - and provided, of course, that they are not sold as genuine to gullible buyers.

I don't think this particular example shows much sign of "craftsmanship" though! If the vandal that created it was too hard-up to get it plated, I think the least they could have done was to paint the poor thing black!

Perhaps, as you suggest, its attraction is the fact that it is so gross and over-the-top.

[Spider67]

But isn't he selling it as a real Leica? Found it in the attic of a friends father.....just where I found Mussolinis's underwear.

[bolas]

Come on ... Leica was just a small inspiration in this tunning ;)
Lets post some photos of this wonders ... :) Anyone have something ?

[climbing_vine]

But isn't he selling it as a real Leica? Found it in the attic of a friends father.....just where I found Mussolinis's underwear.

Yes. This isn't "harmless fake" that everyone is in on, it's fraud.

[reagan]

that looks enough like snakeskin - if i brought that home, my wife would beat it and me to a pulp. imho, it's gaudy... at best.

[brachal]

Sold for 410 English Pounds. Wow.

[calexg]

I have grown sick of looking on eBay for anything Leica. So riddled with copies and ridiculous prices!

[yoyo22]

I love that spelling of "Olympiada". It should be "Olympiade".

[outfitter]

Sold for 410 English Pounds. Wow.

PLeeeze. Notice that the "buyer" has a lot of positive feedback from the same seller back in 2008.

Actually looking at the photos I have to agree with the comments that this was good craftsmanship; its quite crude. Probably not fraud (except for the bid) because all the seller states is what is written on the camera with no claim of authenticity. Caveat emptor

[David Hughes]

410 quid! What can you say?

Still, it could have been someone who wanted an example of the awful things that happen in this wicked world. I bought a Fed1(g) out of curiosity as they'd been slated so much and found it to be a civilised and reasonable version of a Leica II (unlike - say - Hollywood's remake of some well known films).

And one of these days I mean to buy a Summar just to see if they are as bad as almost everyone implies.

And did our publicity here help attract buyers to the golden wonder? A lot of people chase after the most viewed stuff; it's like saying "as seen on TV"...

Regards, David

[kievman]

should of bought that deluxe fed 5c done up as a M4, I am sure it would be worth at least 600 pounds now......... chuckle chuckle ........Oh well....... Michael

[dee]

I have one with nicer engraving - put black suede on mine pending new leather .
Bought cheap from UK seller . I love it !
I would not advocate such treatment , but if it brings broken cameras back to life ,
why not ?

[xayraa33]

Four hundred and ten pounds for a pimpasaurus Fed 1 ?

[climbing_vine]

PLeeeze. Notice that the "buyer" has a lot of positive feedback from the same seller back in 2008.

Actually looking at the photos I have to agree with the comments that this was good craftsmanship; its quite crude. Probably not fraud (except for the bid) because all the seller states is what is written on the camera with no claim of authenticity. Caveat emptor

I don't agree. He was claiming that it was a Leica he found in his uncle's attic, which is quite obviously a lie. Unless his dearly departed Uncle was a collector of recently-faked Leicas and didn't tell anyone.

[Grytpype]

Both seller and buyer have now left their feedback for this deal ("super camera very pleased"). As 'outfitter'spotted, they have had a lot of previous transactions together, all in the same direction (25 since January 2008 according to my count). I'm sure there must be something dodgy going on here - I just can't work out what it is!

[John Robertson]

Four hundred and ten pounds for a pimpasaurus Fed 1 ?
What's the expression??
"A fool and his money are soon parted!!":rolleyes: