Fantastic Leica Model III-A Camera, 1948. Original Case. Works Perfectly

Leica 3A camera made in 1948. This model is considered one of the icons of 20th centurys industrial design because of its combination of simplicity and functionality.Leica was a German brand developed by Ernst Leitz company (Wetzlar, Germany) to make a series of prototypes based on the ones invented by Oskar Barnak in 1913. In 1923 the firm developed 23 more prototypes of Leica camera to test the objectives created by the companys engineers. The camera was a great success in Leipzig 1925 Spring Fair and was commercialized under the name of Leica I (an acronym of Leitz Camera I). The top of the camera has some engraved inscriptions, such as the serial number: 357208. Curiously enough, Leica database indicates that there is no information filed under numbers between 357201 and 358500, so this camera is a very special and rare piece. As well as the serial number we can also see the brand, the companys name and the country (Germany). The objective is a Leitz Elmar, also made by the same company, with a 5 cm lens and 1:35 magnification. Its serial number is 1071478. The camera comes with its attractive original brown leather case, with the body, the cover and the strap. The case is in good condition and keeps all its original parts. The camera works perfectly but it has not been tested with film. The different parts move quite softly and the vision is neat and clear. It is undoubtedly a great vintage camera, which will surely have been a witness of many remarkable events along the second half of the 20th century. Any lover of vintage cameras will be proud to own it.