Leica Question

[kizmet]

One of the waifs gave me a special present this Christmas. As far as I can tell it's a 1956 Leica. It comes with an extra lens, flash equipment, torpedo finder, light meters, the original owner's manual and a harcover Leica manual. I enjoy photography and that's why she gave it to me but I'm not so hardcore that I'll try to figure out this old kit. I've gotten the idea that this outfit might be worth something to a collector. Will anyone give me an estimate so that I won't get taken when I try to sell it? I have all serial numbers, etc. if that matters. This is what it looks like:

The Classic Camera/ Leica IIIf

Any assistance is appreciated.

 

[agerone]

well, you can always get a lot of money with leica gear. Look here to see the average prices: LEICA,LEITZ iiif,111f, 111 f, III f,3F,3 F items - Get great deals on Cameras Photo, Books items on eBay.com! you could go and sell this for up to 1500$

 

[tooppy]

I would say you can always try what Agerone tells you, hopefully you will manage.
A Leica collector start with these, they have to be like new to have some value with the original box in perfect condition.
If there was a handful on the market, but every collector has it, others don't bother, like you.

 

[usayit]

That was pretty thoughtful gift even though it wasn't exactly interesting to you. I wonder how much they got it for.

Cameras of this vintage often require a CLA or repair.. unless already performed. If they are in excellent cosmetic condition, its sometimes best to have them CLA'd prior to resell. Shine a pen light through all the lenses (it should be a very tight small light source... LED lights work fine) front to rear and rear to front with the aperture blades open. Look through them and look for any Haze or spider like veins (fungus). CLA/Repair are also applicable in those cases. Now stop down the blades and look for oil and cleaning marks on external facing optical elements. Those are the things people look for.

I'd be interested to add to my collection but I'm all tapped out of funds for a few months.

Good luck.