Leica has made some wild special-edition cameras over the years, but few are more striking than this gold-plated Lecia M6. This example that’s come to auction is one of only 350 units in the world and comes with an eye-watering starting price of $20,000. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that the camera, listed via online auction marketplace LiveAuctioneers, is entitled "Gold Leica Saltan of Burnie M6 Camera with Summilux lens".
This listing should presumably read ‘Sultan of Brunei’, referring to a very limited run of 24-carat gold-plated Leica M6’s produced in celebration of the Sultan of Brunei’s silver jubilee. It comes with a matching Summilux 50mm f/1.4 lens and a wooden presentation box. The estimate is a whopping $25,000 to $35,000.
It’s certainly not the first time one of these cameras has come up for sale. I’ve found two similar listings at Photographica Auction, where a 1992 piece was listed but unsold and a 1994 piece went under the hammer for €31,200 (approx $35,700 / £27,000). The latter was a slightly later run that featured a 35mm lens, released in celebration of the Sultan’s 50th birthday and limited to only 125 pieces.
It would seem that the camera in the LiveAuctioneers listing has gone to market before. I can see from the images that the serial number is HB-178, the same serial number present on a lot listed by Flints Auctions. Personally, I’m confused as to why the listing doesn’t feature more information, given that I was able to source almost all of the information from elsewhere. Add with the typo, I definitely wouldn’t feel comfortable bidding unless I could find out more about the item, first. Then again, finding out more is standard practice; a $35,000 camera isn't exactly an impulse buy...
Regardless, this is an undeniably cool find. And one of the most striking Leica cameras I think I’ve ever seen, and with the legendary German manufacturer’s penchant for dazzling special editions, that’s saying something!
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