42nd Leitz Photographica Auction: Rare 35mm Leica sells for nearly $1M

The 42nd Leitz Photographica Auction in Vienna has concluded with a variety of Leica vintage cameras, lenses and photographs being sold over 9-10 June.

Among standouts this year were a Leica 250 GG Reporter that got the highest price of the event at 900,000 euros (about $976,500) including a buyer’s premium and a rare Leica M3 black paint ‘First Batch black dial’ auctioned for 540,000 euros including buyer’s premium and ‘Cagliari’, a photograph of a holiday scene on a beach in Sardinia by Massimo Vitali, was auctioned for 33,600 euros (also including premium).

Leica 250 GG Reporter. Credit: Leica.

Canon EOS 90D · f/18 · 1/125s · 100mm · ISO100

The Leica MP ‘Terry O’Neill’, released in 2018 as one of 35 Special Limited Edition cameras, was auctioned off along with a Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f1.4 ASPH lens and a limited edition print of Audrey Hepburn for 240,000 euros including premium.

The 42nd Auction’s charity lot, Leica M11 ‘Brass’, which is inspired by the idea of a Hollywood star with an affinity for photography, was produced in 2021 with outer metal parts made of brass instead of the conventional aluminium models. Only two copies were ever made, with one given to the actor himself and the other being auctioned off for charity.

42nd Leitz Photographica Auction results, Leica MP Terry O'Neill

Credit: Leica

The Leitz Photographica Auction holds an auction of vintage cameras and photographs twice a year. Among the 100 items up for auction were photographs created by Harold Edgerton, Raoul Hausmann, Imogen Cunningham, Helmut Newton, Ansel Adams and Walker Evans. The earliest photo in the line-up, Child at Window by Lewis Hines (1874-1940), was taken in 1910.

The Leica Camera Classics is now accepting cameras and photographs for the next auction, which will take place in Vienna on 24-25 November 2023 and will focus on photographs and cameras by famous photographers.