Rare Leica MP sells for more than $1 Million AUD at historic camera auction

Just days after we reported on the rare Leica Astro Rifle outfit heading to auction, another piece of Leica history has stolen the spotlight.

A black paint Leica MP has sold for €600,000, around AU$1.07 million.

The camera was one of the headline lots at the 48th Leitz Photographica Auction, where collectors spent millions of euros on some of the rarest cameras ever produced.

While the unusual Leica Astro Rifle failed to find a buyer, several other historically significant Leica models comfortably exceeded expectations.

The standout result was Leica MP black paint No. MP-33, which achieved €600,000.

Introduced at Photokina in 1956, the Leica MP was produced in extremely limited numbers, with just 402 cameras manufactured. Only 141 were finished in the highly sought-after black paint, a finish prized by collectors because of both its rarity and the distinctive brass wear that develops through decades of use.

Unlike Leica's standard production cameras, the MP was given its own dedicated numbering system rather than conventional serial numbers. The auctioned example, MP-33, was the 33rd camera built.

Another of the auction's major results was a Leica Ig prototype, which sold for €540,000 ($884,000 AUD).

The unusual prototype features a distinctive raised top plate designed to accommodate a flash shoe, making it one of the more unusual developmental cameras in Leica's history. Built during the mid-1950s, it remains one of the company's most significant surviving prototypes.

One of the biggest surprises came from a Leica IIIg Black Paint Swedish Army set, which far exceeded its pre-sale estimate.

Expected to fetch up to €140,000, the military-issued camera ultimately realised €456,000 ($745,000 AUD).

Produced in satin black for the Swedish Armed Forces in 1960, only around 125 examples are believed to have been made. The camera sold in virtually unused "new old stock" condition, complete with its original box and Swedish-language manual.

That level of preservation is exceptionally rare for military equipment that was typically put into active service.

Despite the strong overall results, several high-profile lots remained unsold.

Among them was the Leica Astro Rifle outfit that we featured ahead of the auction. The unusual combination of Leica camera and rifle stock attracted significant attention before the sale but ultimately failed to meet its reserve.

Also failing to sell was a rare Leica MP once owned by one of Italy's pioneering paparazzi photographers.

Other notable sales included a Leica IIIb Black Paint for €312,000, a first batch Leica M3 Black Paint kit for €144,000 and a Leica IIIf Black Paint Swedish Army camera for €96,000.

With several record-breaking prices and strong demand for exceptionally rare models, the latest Leitz Photographica Auction once again demonstrated that historically significant cameras remain among the most sought-after collectibles in the photographic world.