Travails of two Leica M3s

I wrote in another post in the past about how I came to want a Leica M3. In my career whenever I had a little extra cash for gear I bought what would make my job easier. When it came to cameras I bought what others around me were using. That made it easy to borrow and trade gear.

I knew about Leicas but they just weren’t on my radar. They were expensive and just not a fast-moving camera like an SLR for newspaper and later magazine work.

But the mystique of Leica was always a hum in the background. Could they be all that users said they are? Nearing retirement a few years ago I thought maybe it would be ok to check one out. I decided I wanted an early, low serial number, M3. That model, the first Leica to fuse the rangefinder and viewfinder in one window came out in 1954, the same year I entered the world. I thought it would be fun to have a camera my age.

I wasn’t in a hurry but would occasionally peruse sites to see what was offered. The first M3 was serial number 700,001. I wanted a low number but the ones that started with 700 were priced too precious for me. Those were the first hundreds. I was holding out for a low number and one that was in good shape. Those first M3’s were double stroke which was fine with me. Some had been converted to single stroke but that didn’t appeal.

After a couple years of looking I found ‘the one’ for a decent price on a reputable site and just ordered. A few days later when it arrived I was quite pleased. It seemed in great condition for the price and was number 708,626, among the first 10 thousand of an eventual almost quarter million.

After a couple rolls of shooting the shutter locked up on me. I called on a couple of the names that people say are the best for these old cameras for repair and Don Goldberg, AKA ‘DAG’ in Wisconsin said to send it on.  I packed it up, headed to my local UPS store, bought insurance for it and shipped it away.

With no word after a week I checked with him and he said he never got it. Back I went to UPS. The store said they shipped it. UPS said they never received it. The lesson here is that a UPS store is a private entity and not a UPS facility. Both said it was the others’ fault, neither willing to pay me the insurance. After three weeks, fairly morose about the loss, I was scrolling camera sites again. I came across another low serial number body, even lower number in fact but not in as ‘pretty’ shape. But the price reflected that. Prompted by my depression I just ordered it.

The day before it was to arrive I got a note about having to sign for it but knew I wouldn’t be home. I asked for it to be held at my local FedEx office where it would be safe until I could get there. When it came in the next day I drove over and picked it up. Excited about it, I tore the box open at my car only to discover it held a basketball. At this point I was laughing more than crying. The situation was just crazy. I took the basketball back in and explained that it wasn’t a camera.

They said they would look into it.

Now I was out the price of two Leica’s and had nothing. But the next day FedEx called and said they found it. When the package was redirected they switched the labels. I made my way back and this time I finally had the camera.

Of course the next day UPS called and said they “found” my original camera and said to come pick it up. I ran over and grabbed it before it was lost again. Now I had two M3’s, one not working.

I shipped the original one to DAG again. This time I used FedEx and I put an Apple air tag in the box. I was able to track it and see it arrive at his shop. That was a few weeks ago. He just shipped it back to me. Of course I wasn’t home to sign for it last week. He shipped USPS. They left no note, no instructions how to get the box. I would never have known but I saw the attempted deliver on our doorbell camera. Of course there was one more trial, one more hiccup before it was in my hands.

This morning I saw on the air tag that it was back at the local post office.  I was first in line when they opened, they handed it over.

Lessons here are many. Insure your package and ship from UPS or FedEx not the UPS store.

Use an air tag or something similar to track your box.

Now I have two M3’s. I guess I’ll sell one. The repaired one from DAG is so smooth, so quiet. That’ll be the keeper. Maybe the other will work in trade for a lens.

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