One Percenters' Leica

[vfotog]

I think, as someone that does not have $75,000 to arbitrarily spend on a camera, that perhaps the mindset of someone who does have that sort of money escapes me.
I cannot imagine, even winning the lottery, actually spending $75 on a camera...regardless of how great a camera it was.
It could however, just be the difference between someone who's first car was BMW 7 series, and someone who's car was a 1974 VW rabbit.

I think it's pretty obvious which category I fell into.

you have the mindset of the collector and then you have the mindset of the wealthy. combine them and it can be jaw-dropping. handbags are another category where you see this. you can buy a horrible bag at Walmart or you can go to the other extreme and buy a Birkin. June saw a new auction world record for a handbag: $223,000. That's not a typo. 223K for a used bag. It's an entirely different world.

 

[Derrel]

Seems to me that these limited-edition cameras have a fairly high potential for future valuation swings in the upward direction, since the production is low, and known, and the company itself has released serial number information in a very public way. But I'm not a camera collector, and I'm not interested in the field. Maybe I'm wrong...maybe the "value" of sets like this as collection stock could actually drop below the new, retail price in the future? I dunno...

I do think stainless steel has an interesting look as a camera and lens-making material.

 

[gryffinwings]

If I were that rich, I wouldn't bother with a collector set Leica, I'd probably go with all the most expensive Nikon bodies and the best Lenses for full from and have fun.

 

[Designer]

Seems to me that these limited-edition cameras have a fairly high potential for future valuation swings in the upward direction, since the production is low, and known, and the company itself has released serial number information in a very public way. But I'm not a camera collector, and I'm not interested in the field. Maybe I'm wrong...maybe the "value" of sets like this as collection stock could actually drop below the new, retail price in the future? I dunno...

I do think stainless steel has an interesting look as a camera and lens-making material.

Whether the "value" increases or decreases is unknown at this time, but I think the buyers of this kit are not concerned about that. I think that most buyers are "camera nuts" with loads of cash that they can "invest" in such a kit. They probably will not even use it, just put it away and show to their friends once in a while.

I know people who buy those limited edition firearms with the express intention of just putting them away unused. They have several (many) examples of something that is dated, limited, and fancy enough to draw their attention. These firearms will probably never be used, but simply passed on to the next owner, either by inheritance or by sale. Collecting "collectibles" is a different world from the one we mere mortals inhabit.