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Rare Leica camera snaps $1.3M at auction

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

VIENNA (AP) – An Austrian auction house says an 88-year-old Leica camera has sold for a record 1.3 million euros ($1.9 million).

WestLicht says the rare camera is part of a small series dating back to 1923 and was valued at up to 450,000 euros ($643,640).

It says the camera, which had a starting price of 200,000 euros ($286,000), went to a private Asian collector after a tense, 20-minute bidding process.

WestLicht claims Saturday’s auction makes the early Leica the most expensive camera ever sold.

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Online: www.westlicht-auction.com

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AP-WF-05-28-11 1718GMT