An Engraved Camera I Don't Actually Mind!

[dave lackey]

Personally, I am still waiting to see some really classy engraving. High-end fly rods like Bill Oyster's feature amazing engraving and fetch very high prices! Colt revolvers, shotguns, knives, and many other items have engraving that is to be cherished.


http://www.oysterbamboo.com/


Seems no one has actually done a Leica? Or at least posted anything other than names, ss numbers, etc.

[Vince Lupo]

Originally Posted by raid

This is an interesting engraving. What if "they" now want the camera back to the family ss it may have vanished uring WWII?

They'll have to come pick it up.

[sanmich]

Originally Posted by Austerby

My IIIa has an engraving on the base: From Jack to Tony, 1958. I like to think this was a gift between Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis myself, but have no way of ever proving it true or untrue.

Call Jamie Lee

[MISH]

Originally Posted by Austerby

My IIIa has an engraving on the base: From Jack to Tony, 1958. I like to think this was a gift between Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis myself, but have no way of ever proving it true or untrue.

pictures please

[raid]

Originally Posted by Vince Lupo

They'll have to come pick it up.

That would be awesome. Then they turn out to be multi-millionaires, and they give you a million $ or so for your kindness!

[Vince Lupo]

Originally Posted by raid

That would be awesome. Then they turn out to be multi-millionaires, and they give you a million $ or so for your kindness!

Hopefully there wouldn't be a family feud between the German and Chilean contingent!

BTW no word from either of the people I contacted yesterday....I would have actually been surprised if I did hear from them!

[Mr_Flibble]

Originally Posted by dave lackey

Seems no one has actually done a Leica? Or at least posted anything other than names, ss numbers, etc.

Not engraved, but I have seen awesome handpainted FEDs and Zorkis though

[David Hughes]

And the Hallo Kitty M series...

Regards, David

[oftheherd]

Originally Posted by Mr_Flibble

Not engraved, but I have seen awesome handpainted FEDs and Zorkis though

I'm not normally impressed by painted cameras. But that is well done.

Nice thread and posts everyone!

[oftheherd]

However, a link from this thread in the FSU forum: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...d.php?t=120989 (Thanks Sylvester)

Lead to this:
http://www.fourcornerstore.com/colle.../darkroom-army, a couple of which tickled me, and a couple kind of weirded me out.

[ssmc]

Speaking of bad engravings, a few months ago when I was looking at Mamiya 6 & 7's on the 'bay there was a black one for sale that had "smiley" faces all over it (I forget if it was a 6 or a 7). And I don't mean CNC-milled, I mean shaky-handed scratchings, probably not even with a Dremel, just some kind of sharp tool (the sort of thing that should not be in the hands of someone who'd mutilate a camera, IMO)

I just could not imaging what woudl possess someone to do that to any camera, let alone something as expensive as that... weird...

Scott

[Vince Lupo]

Just picked up a lens for Helga -- it's a bit later than the body (think it's about 1946), but it's a pretty nice one, and it goes nicely with my silver SOOPD hood.



Think this outfit's a keeper!

[reagan]

Pretty cool thread, Lupo. I guess the "where-has-this-been-and-what-has-it-seen" aspect of old shooters has always been part of their allure to me. I even get excited when I grab some flea market junker and it still has film in it! "Oh boy! Let's see what this guy was shooting!" I have two pre-war black Leicas that I bought out of Russia. Would love to know their history.

Keith gobbled up an interesting engraved Kiev from this thread in 2006. Wonder if he still has it? The link to it's photo no longer works, so he'd have to provide a current image.

Along similar lines, here's a thread, also from 2006 about old camera genealogy.

[seakayaker1]

Thanks for sharing photos of the camera and the link to the article regarding the plane crash. It would be interesting to know if anyone ever has made a search for the plane since the modern day equipment could easily make it to that depth. Would love to hear if you receive any information from the inquires you sent out.

[philipus]

This is a really fascinating thread. I immediately started googling for traces of a cool history of my II but no such luck. Still, I love it to bits.

Is there any repository of significant/famous Barnacks?

[Vince Lupo]

I know that the factory in Solms has a display of cameras in their lobby -- one that was found in the wreckage of the Hindenburg, a Leica that fell out of an airplane, another that stopped a bullet etc. They may also have some that were presented to famous people (Albert Schweitzer, Alfred Eisenstaedt etc), but not too sure about that. It's a combination of Barnacks and M-series on display in the lobby, BTW.

Does anyone know if Leica will still look up serial numbers for customers to see when/where they were delivered etc? They did it for me once about two years ago for a Luftwaffe IIIc that I had, and even sent me a copy of the original entry page from their logs.

[jaredangle]

Originally Posted by raytoei@gmail.com

maybe we should have a "Show me your engraved Cameras W/NW"

I don't have any engraved cameras, but I do have engraved medium format backs that used to be in studios – indistinguishable from a plain back, and saves up to 50% too!

[Dralowid]

As I understand it, Leica no longer refer to their records for enquiries about serial numbers and who they were supplied to when new but I understand there is a committee that sits every now and then that reviews the requests and answers those that they think are the most historically important.

I have also seen a list of serial numbers and the names of the rich and famous to whom they have been presented. Where? Can't remember...age.

[Vince Lupo]

Hmm....perhaps I should contact them just for the heck of it regarding this camera. No guarantee that they'd respond or even research it, but it might be worth a try.

BTW I have a roll of XP2 in the camera now, and if anything of value comes out, I'll post a few shots.

[simonankor]

I have a IIIa engraved with the name of its original owner, who was a historically significant photographer locally. I like it, because I know he bought the camera new in 1939 and I bought it from his granddaughter after he passed away.

Knowing the history of the camera is nice. The dollar value is irrelevant to me - when I die the camera will be passed on to someone else.

And now, time to get said IIIa out and run some film.

[Nikon Bob]

Originally Posted by haempe

Grah & Plumacher (also: Grah & Plümacher) is/was a factory for open razors in Solingen.
I think, also with branch(es) in the USA.

I had the same though and found an Ewald Plumacher Soligen-Ohligs listed as a straight razor manufacturer 1928-1939. Really makes you wonder if that is the same family.

Bob