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7.2 Million for 0-Series Model No. 112
7.2 Million for 0-Series Model No. 112
July 1, 2025
The winning bid of 6 million euros (7.2 million incl. buyer’s premium) makes the 0-Series Leica no. 112 the second most expensive camera in the world
“It’s a special privilege for our auction house to offer a 0-Series camera on the occasion of the Leica I’s centenary – even more so, a model that was allocated to Oskar Barnack after its completion,” says Alexander Sedlak, Managing Director of Leitz Photographica Auction. The significance of the 0-Series as the foundation of modern photography can hardly be overstated, he explains. “These prototypes formed the basis for the development of the groundbreaking Leica I, which took photojournalism to entirely new spheres and transformed photography from an exclusive hobby to a mass phenomenon.”
According to the press release, the Leica 0-Series model no. 112 – initially estimated at 1.5 to 2 million euros – changed hands for a total of 7.2 million euros (6 million plus buyer’s premium): a sum Sedlak describes as “absolutely fitting for such an extraordinary piece of history.”
This makes model no. 112 the second most expensive camera of all time. The world record stands at 14.4 million euros (including buyer’s premium), achieved by 0-Series model no. 105 at the 40th Leitz Photographica Auction in June 2022.
The fascination of the 0-Series models for photography enthusiasts and, of course, high-end collectors lies both in their historical significance for the birth of 35mm photography, and in their extreme rarity – as only around a dozen of these prototypes still exist worldwide.
Tobias Habura-SternAccording to the press release, the Leica 0-Series model no. 112 – initially estimated at 1.5 to 2 million euros – changed hands for a total of 7.2 million euros (6 million plus buyer’s premium): a sum Sedlak describes as “absolutely fitting for such an extraordinary piece of history.”
This makes model no. 112 the second most expensive camera of all time. The world record stands at 14.4 million euros (including buyer’s premium), achieved by 0-Series model no. 105 at the 40th Leitz Photographica Auction in June 2022.
The fascination of the 0-Series models for photography enthusiasts and, of course, high-end collectors lies both in their historical significance for the birth of 35mm photography, and in their extreme rarity – as only around a dozen of these prototypes still exist worldwide.
The winning bid of 6 million euros (7.2 million incl. buyer’s premium) makes the 0-Series Leica no. 112 the second most expensive camera in the world
A great number of active bidders and enthusiastic spectators flocked to Wetzlar for the 46th Leitz Photographica Auction. Oskar Barnack himself is recorded in the books as the recipient of this prototype