A Giant Leica IIIf Riesen Model Rangefinder Camera

A Giant Leica IIIf Riesen Model Rangefinder Camera

An extremely large wooden dummy model of a 1950 Leica IIIf camera, the model with a black painted body, silver painted trim, wooden dials and details, Plexiglas viewers, lens, and hand-painted serial numbers and branding. The Leica IIIf was introduced Christmas 1950 and a second version followed in 1953, however this oversized example of the earlier version - only produced for three years - is known by camera collectors as the ‘B. D.’ or ‘Black Dial’ Size: 46 x 25 x 22 inches (117 x 64 x 56 cm).

(Quantity:1)

Dimensions: 117 x 64 x 56 cm

Early camera retailers would have been familiar with the concept of using dummy camera models in their retail establishments - much as with high-end electronic goods on display in stores today - these display versions would have been made to scale, using actual camera casings but with no internal mechanisms. These dummies would have demonstrated the new designs well to prospective buyers, but as these were expensive items to purchase, the dummies would have meant that retailers would not have had to take their displays down each night for security.