Cameras: LeCoultre Compass, Leica and Mamiya in Lichfield photography auction

Cameras: LeCoultre Compass, Leica and Mamiya in Lichfield photography auction

A RARE LeCoultre Compass miniature camera and more than a dozen collectable Leica models feature amongst photography equipment going under the hammer at Lichfield.

There are also dozens more film and digital cameras, field cameras, medium format cameras, compact cameras, lenses, photographic equipment and accessories coming up for sale with Richard Winterton Auctioneers.

Photography gear is catalogued from Lot 851 on Tuesday, February 28 – Day Two of that week’s Antiques & Home Sale, starting at 9.30am.

Lots include the rare Jaeger-LeCoultre Compass miniature camera with an Anastigmat 35mm f3.5 lens, estimated at £1,200 to £1,500.

Auctioneer Richard Winterton with the rare LeCoultre Compass miniature camera and a Leica M6.

Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “The LeCoultre Compass is such a remarkable little machine.

“When it was made – in the late 1930s – it was one of the most technically advanced cameras ever made.

“So the story goes, it was dreamed up by a man called Noel Pemberton Billing apparently following a bet over whether a camera could be made small enough to fit inside a packet of cigarettes!”

He added: “The ubiquitous camera of the time then was the Leica – itself a technological marvel – and the same auction features some wonderful examples.”

Lot 888 is a rare LeCoultre Compass miniature camera with an Anastigmat 35mm f3.5 lens, estimated at £1,200 to £1,500.

Lot 865 is a Leica M6, estimated at £1,500 to £1,800, and Lot 878 is a Leica 1 ‘Oskar Barnack’ edition, estimated at £800 to £1,000.

Other Leica models for sale include a 1931 Leica 1, a 1932 Leica II, a1936 Leica III rangefinder, a Leica CM Zoom and Leicas M2, M3 and M4.

There are also Leitz lenses and medium format cameras by Zenza Bronica and Mamiya, the latter a M645E model estimated at £800 to £1,000.

Top: Lot 865, a Leica M6 estimated at £1,500 to £1,800. Lot 881 is a Mamiya M645E medium format camera, estimated at £800 to £1,000.

Subsequent lots in the sale showcase a huge selection of vinyl records, musical instruments and high end hi-fi equipment including a Novo Fidelity X45 Pro Digital Streaming hi-fi pre amp (Lot 968), Golden Ear Technology hi-fi/home cinema speakers (Lot 966) and an Emotiva XPA Gen 3 home cinema modular amplifier (Lot 967).

People are welcome to bid live in the room at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park, or can join the auction online.

Lot 878: A Leica 1 ‘Oskar Barnack’ edition, estimated at £800 to £1,000.

The catalogue can be viewed online now via our Auction Dates page. Viewing in person is on Friday, February 24, 10am-4pm by appointment.

The same auction features a huge collection of exclusive Blizzard Entertainment gaming merchandise.

For auction information or to book a valuation, call 01543 251081 or email office@richardwinterton.co.uk.