Some Leica cameras are rare, but others are so extraordinary that they represent an almost forgotten chapter in the company's history. That is certainly the case with a remarkable Leica Box prototype from the 1950s, which is heading to auction with an estimated value of between €400,000 and €500,000 (up to $560,000 / £417,000)
The camera will be one of the star attractions at the 49th Leitz Photographica Auction, taking place on November 28 in Wetzlar, Germany, alongside a Leica R6 once owned and used by legendary documentary photographer Sebastião Salgado and several exceptionally rare lenses.
What makes the Leica Box particularly fascinating is that it represents a very different direction for the German camera manufacturer. Developed during the mid-1950s, the camera was designed as an incredibly compact half-frame model, measuring just 100 x 64 x 48mm and capturing 18 x 24mm images on 35mm film.
Only two examples were ever produced, with one remaining at the Leica Museum in Wetzlar as a non-working design study. The example heading to auction, bearing serial number 000.01, is believed to be the only fully operational version in existence. Featuring a fixed 35mm Summaron lens, the camera offers a fascinating glimpse into what might have been had Leica decided to bring the concept into full production.
Image credit: Leitz Photographica Auction
Image credit: Letiz Photograpica Auction
Image credit: Letiz Photograpica Auction
However, perhaps the most historically significant camera at the auction is a Leica R6 that belonged to the late Sebastião Salgado, one of the most influential documentary photographers of his generation. Salgado used this very camera while photographing the burning oil fields of Kuwait during the Gulf War in 1991, producing some of the most powerful images of his career.
The camera is being offered alongside two photographs from the series and a signed, limited-edition copy of his celebrated photobook Workers, with an estimated value of €28,000 to €32,000 (around $35,000 / £25,000). For collectors, this is far more than simply an opportunity to own a vintage Leica; it is a chance to acquire a camera that actually helped document an important moment in modern history.
Lens collectors will also have plenty to get excited about, including the very first numbered example of the recently released Leica Summicron-M 66mm f/2, a modern recreation of the legendary Elcan 66mm f/2 developed by Walter Mandler for the U.S. Navy during the late 1960s.
The original lens was produced in extremely limited numbers, with approximately 200 examples manufactured, while the modern version is restricted to just 660 units. The example heading to auction carries the particularly desirable serial number 001 and is expected to achieve between €16,000 and €20,000. Alexander Sedlak, managing director of Leitz Photographica Auction, said: "As always, we expect particularly strong interest in historically significant rarities and special editions."
In total, more than 400 lots will go under the hammer at the auction, featuring everything from historic Leica cameras and lenses to photographic equipment from other manufacturers, with estimates ranging from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of euros.
The event will also celebrate 60 years of Leica's legendary Noctilux lens with a dedicated exhibition at Leica World. The auction begins at noon Central European Time on November 28, with advance and live bidding available through the Leitz Photographica Auction website.
While the extraordinary prices will put some of these cameras well beyond the reach of most photographers, events like this offer a wonderful reminder that some of photography's most fascinating stories are not just found in the images themselves, but in the cameras that helped create them.
Check out the best Leica cameras you can buy new today
