Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/09

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: RE: [Leica] Collectors or users driving the used M market???
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 15:55:17 -0500

> Bunk.  I doubt if 5% of collectors EVER sell.  You are confusing
> collectors
> with dealers and with buy-and-sell types.
>
> Marc
>
Since Marc is invariably right about things of this sort...Doesn't that mean
that given the limited number of Leicas made - compared to Ns or Cs - every
camera that is collected does indeed depress the overall stock and drive up
prices. For instance, while M4-2s may have no value as collectibles, the
fact that a goodly number of M2s, M3s and some M4s - to say nothing of M5s,
may be, reduces the overall number of all Ms in circulation and drives up
the price of cameras like the M4-2.

Believe me, I'm not suggesting either than collectors shouldn't collect, or
that the tasteless way the comment was made in the news letter was
appropriate. At the same time, however, I think that it's pretty obvious
that were Leicas not collectible, there would be more in circulation and the
prices would be somewhat lower. Not low, mind you, but somewhat lower.