Got a spare $3 mil? Oskar Barnack's personal Leica 0-Series is up for auction

German auction house Leitz Photographica is celebrating its 20th anniversary by holding the world's largest auction of historic cameras.

Among the collectibles up for auction are a Leica 0-Series No. 105 produced in 1923 that has an estimated price of €2,000,000 to €3,000,000 ($3-4 million AUD). Bids will start at a whopping €1,000,000.

According to Leitz, the 0-Series, a batch of prototypes, holds special appeal for collectors. Before the Leitz Camera (‘Leica’ for short) went into series production in the mid-1920s and made the 35mm format the new standard for professional photographers, approximately 20 examples of the 0-Series were manufactured.

Only around a dozen of them are estimated to still be in existence today.

This particular 0-Series No. 105 is not only exceptional because of its rarity, it was also one of the personal cameras of Oskar Barnack – the inventor of 35mm photography whose name adorns the viewfinder of the camera.

Barnack used the 105 to capture motifs from his family life, gaining technical insights he then applied to the further development of the camera and its succeeding models. The world's most expensive camera to date – an 0-Series No. 122 – sold at the 32nd Leitz Photographica Auction in 2018 for 2.4 million euros (including buyer’s premium).

Another auction highlight is an analogue Leica MP with the serial number 5630769 and matching Leica Elmar-M 1:2.8/50. The camera and lens are unique pieces that stem from a cooperation between Leica Camera AG and Leitz Photographica Auction. The decorative metal exterior parts of the camera were coated with a layer of real gold by electroplating.

The camera's top plate has a further special feature: It does not bear any engravings. The camera's serial number is instead discreetly engraved on the underside of the winding lever, a unique touch. The set is complemented by a black Leica Elmar-M 1:2.8/50, reworked directly at Leica Camera AG in Wetzlar. Instead of the usual engravings laid out in white paint, this lens has gold-colored engravings to match the camera.

These and other items will be auctioned from June 11. If you're serious, bids can be submitted in advance – online at leitzauction.com, or, if you're really patient, in written form.