Camera auction breaks records for world's rarest Leicas

If you’ve ever been curious about how valuable vintage Leicas can get, the latest Leitz Photographica Auction offers a pretty clear answer—adding not one, but two cameras to the list of the five most expensive ever sold.

The event, held last week in Wetzlar, Germany, also marked Leica’s 100-year anniversary, making the occasion even more significant.

The standout sale was a Leica 0-Series prototype—an early model that paved the way for the Leica I, the world’s first commercially successful 35mm camera. It sold for a staggering €7.2 million (roughly $12 million AUD), far surpassing the initial estimate of around €2 million.

This same auction house previously set the all-time camera price record back in 2022, when a different Leica 0-Series prototype, No. 105, once owned by Leica founder Oskar Barnack, went for about $15 million AUD.

Interestingly, the newly auctioned camera (No. 112) was also connected to Barnack, having been delivered to him after production.

“It’s a very special moment for us to offer a 0-Series model during the 100th anniversary of the Leica I,” said Alexander Sedlak, Managing Director of Leitz Photographica Auction.

“These prototypes helped shape the Leica I, which revolutionised photojournalism and made photography more accessible. The €7.2 million result feels entirely fitting for such a remarkable piece of history.”

Another star of the auction was a Leica M3 gifted to legendary Austrian ski and mountain photographer Professor Stefan Kruckenhauser in 1955.

This wasn’t just any camera - it was serial number 700000, officially the first M-series Leica ever produced. It sold for a cool €3.36 million (around $5.92 million AUD).

Also up for grabs was a century-old Leica I Mod. A Anastigmat No. 225—the 100th Leica ever made.

Delivered to British ad agency Ogilvy on January 29, 1925, Leica believes it was the very first camera the company ever shipped to the UK. It went for a hefty €132,000 ($155,538 AUD).

You can see all the results from the auction on Leitz’s website.