Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/28
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At 10:57 PM 28/08/2000 +0800, Tony Woo wrote:
>I have an opportunity to purchase a M6 - 0.85 non-TTL, it has a serial
>number 1915xxx which dates it back to 1992. I thought M6 0.85 was not
>born until 1998?
>
Very strange. See the archive information below. Your serial number does
not even put the camera in the same range as those known below.
From: "Frank Filippone" <red735i@earthlink.net>
Subject: M6 HM Serial Numbers: Last Posting
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1999 12:27:20 -0800
S/N To Date:1/10/99
This is a list of all reported M6HM (0.85) Serial numbers by LUG members.
The list is hardly complete but should be used as a guide.
The notation of US or Canada etc. is the country the camera was purchased
in.
There is an email from Leica AG, Mr. Stefan Danial-Leica Camera AG Produkt
Management, M-System.
That email states there was a total production of M6HM of 3,130 units. I am
confirming this report.
We have compelling arguments to conclude that my original estimates of
4700-6000 units is wrong. We have the S/N of non-HM cameras from the range
that I would have expected belong to the HM. We need to continue this
research. Please keep those S/N coming to me....
Standard Engraving as engraved on the back of the camera
Line 1 "LEICA CAMERA"
Lne 2 "MADE IN GERMANY"
1,917,990 Europe
2,296,539 Hong Kong
2,414,454 US Standard Engraving
M6 S/N 2,414,461 NOT HM
2,414,629 Canada Standard Engraving
2,414,835 Canada Standard Engraving
2,414,849 Asia Standard Engraving
2,415,034 US Standard Engraving
2,415,207 US Standard Engraving
2,415,252 US
2.415,277 US Standard Engraving
2,415,322 US
2,415,337 Europe Standard Engraving
2,415,388 Europe Standard Engraving
2,415,467 HK Standard Engraving
2,415,483 Europe Standard Engraving
2,415,570 US Standard Engraving
2,415,617 US Standard Engraving
2,415,628 US Standard Engraving
2,415,729 US Standard Engraving
2,415,868 US Standard Engraving
2,415,922 US Standard Engraving
2,415,946 Europe
2,415,974 US Standard Engraving
2,423,040 US
2,423,068 Europe engraved LEICA CAMERA only
2,423,084 US Engraving on back says: "LEICA CAMERA GMBH"
underneath this, "Made in GERMANY"
2,423,097 US Engraving same as # 2,423,084
2.423.237 Europe Standard Engraving
2,423,247 US Standard Engraving
2,423,248 Europe
2,423,249 Europe, Standard Engraving.
2,423,255 Canada Standard Engraving
2,423,271 Europe Standard Engraving
2,423,308 US Standard Engraving
2,423,327 US Standard Engraving
2,423,398 Canada Standard Engraving
2,423,399 US Standard Engraving
2,423,408 US Standard Engraving
2,423,425 US Standard Engraving
2,423,476 Hong Kong Standard Engraving
2,423,519 Hong Kong Standard Engraving
2,423,533 Europe Standard Engraving
2,423,574 Europe Standard Engraving
2,423,582 US Standard Engraving
2,423,592 Europe Standard Engraving
2,423,664 US Standard Engraving
2,423,733 US Standard Engraving
2,424,176 US Standard Engraving
2,424,275 US Standard Engraving
2,424,331 US Standard Engraving
2,424,471 US Standard Engraving
2,424,475
2,424,512 US Standard Engraving
2,424,376 US Standard Engraving
2,424,500 Europe Standard Engraving
2,424,647 US Standard Engraving
2,424,702 US Standard Engraving
2,424,927 US Standard Engraving
2,431,315 US Standard Engraving
2,431,765 US Standard Engraving
2,431,875 HK Standard Engraving
There is no evidence of cameras with S/N between 2,432,000 and 2,432,499
1500 Units beginning with
2,432,500 US Standard Engraving
2,432,692 US Standard Engraving
M6 S/N 2,432,901 NOT HM
2,432,983 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,062 Europe Standard Engraving
2,433,067 US Standard Engraving
2,433,145 US Standard Engraving
2,433,155 US Standard Engraving
2,433,221 HK Standard Engraving
2,433,222 US Standard Engraving
2,433,243 US Standard Engraving
2,433,302 US Standard Engraving
2,433,437 US Standard Engraving
2,433,470 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,480 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,535 Europe Standard Engraving
2,433,586 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,620 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,633 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,650 UK Standard Engraving
2,433,654 US Standard Engraving
2,433,675 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,795 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,433,798 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,456,023 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
2,456,225 Europe Standard Engraving.... Reported Stolen in Belgium
These were sold in late 1998.
2,463,935 US Standard Engraving
2,463,944 US Standard Engraving
2,463,962 US Standard Engraving
2,464,003 US Standard Engraving
2,464,011 US Standard Engraving
2,464,026 US Standard Engraving
2,464,030 US Standard Engraving
2,464,090 US Standard Engraving
If you see your camera listed with an incorrect S/N .... like I bungled a
few digits..... please email me
Note: Capitalization is as printed on the camera
A copy of these numbers is archived at Stephen Gandy's site:
http://www.cameraquest.com/
Conclusions ( My opinion ):
Leica produces cameras in production batches ( maybe I should say they
produce serial numbers in batches). You may find this expected, but it was
a good for me to get some hard data on the issue. I do not expect to find
random S/N.
There were pre-production units that went to Canada and Asia. Maybe
elsewhere. S/N were random. Theses are most likely modified M6 bodies.
There were 5 production runs of 1,600, and 2,000 and 1,000 and 1,000 units,
and the last run of cameras, starting near 2,464,000 of maybe 100-1000
cameras.
Myearly estimate is that less than 7,000 total were made. My low estimate
was 4,700 total.
They substituted older style covers for a total of less than 100 units.
S/N 2,423,084 - 2,423,097 maybe others). Theses are exceedingly rare
units..
See comments at top for an official number of 3,130 total units.
I will continue to keep this list and modify the assumptions made about the
total production run.