Contax iKon camera

[Flmthrwer]

I have a Contax Ikon camera with a Sonnar 1:2 f=50 mm Zeiss-Option Nr 708274 red t lens. It is brand new in a sealed package in the leather case. What is this worth? I found it in the basement of my Father's estate. This is legit and not a scam.

 

[john.margetts]

The lens (Zeiss Opton not Option) was made in West Germany between 1951 and 1953. The camera is probably a Zeiss Ikon Contax (the name you give is certainly wrong) which came in several flavours. As a working camera it is probably worthless - being sealed for that long and not being used is very bad for any machine. As a display piece, you will need to offer it for sale to find out. Some of us collectors like our cameras to work so I, for one, wouldn't want it at any price.

 

[Flmthrwer]

 

[Flmthrwer]

As

The lens (Zeiss Opton not Option) was made in West Germany between 1951 and 1953. The camera is probably a Zeiss Ikon Contax (the name you give is certainly wrong) which came in several flavours. As a working camera it is probably worthless - being sealed for that long and not being used is very bad for any machine. As a display piece, you will need to offer it for sale to find out. Some of us collectors like our cameras to work so I, for one, wouldn't want it at any price.

As the executrix of my father's estate, I need to find out what this camera is worth. I do understand that it is a rarity - new, unused, and original sealed plastic.

I know my father met my mom in Stuttgart while working as an attorney for the Army in peacetime Germany.

Are there better pictures which would be more informative?

 

[pixmedic]

your best bet is to check ebay sold listings and see what ones are actually selling for.
as john noted earlier, it is not likely to be in working condition having sat that long.
the seals are probably shot, aperture blades possibly stuck, as well as the shutter mechanism/curtains.
while it may be in mint condition cosmetically, it will most certainly need a minimum of a professional CLA (clean-lube-adjustment)
before being in actual working condition.

most serious collectors (those that are actually willing to spend money) will want their cameras in good working condition.

 

[john.margetts]

On seeing the pictures, I am not so sure that it is new and unused. I don't think Zeiss Ikon in the very early 1950s would have put a new camera in polythene bags. More likely it was either unwrapped (or wrapped in waxed paper) in a sturdy box. The case would have been an optional extra.

 

[Ysarex]

As the executrix of my father's estate, I need to find out what this camera is worth. I do understand that it is a rarity - new, unused, and original sealed plastic.

I know my father met my mom in Stuttgart while working as an attorney for the Army in peacetime Germany.

Are there better pictures which would be more informative?

It would indeed be a rarity if it were new and in it's original sealed box. Your camera is clearly not new and factory sealed. It appears to be in good cosmetic condition and was stored in a plastic bag by it's previous owner. The case shows normal wear. It's unlikely that the case was used without the camera. It is nonetheless a sought-after collectable and worth some money. First step, as has been suggested, is to have it's condition (cosmetic & working) evaluated by an expert. You can't sell it if you can't accurately describe it, and if you tell prospective buyers that it's new, unused and factory sealed they will be very unhappy when they discover otherwise.

Joe