Soviet Spy Cameras Disguised as Briefcases For Sale at Leica Auction

May 16, 2025

Matt Growcoot

A vintage, textured brown handbag with a hidden camera lens revealed behind a flap, highlighted by a red arrow pointing from the bag’s clasp to the close-up of the camera lens. — The Soviet spy briefcase with a hidden camera.

A series of inventive spy cameras used by the KGB during the Cold War are set to be auctioned next month at the Leitz Photographica Auction in Germany.

On offer at the auction is a unique spy briefcase hiding a modified Soviet Zorki-6 rangefinder attached to a plate which fires when the spook squeezes the bag.

Kosmo Foto reports that the Zorki-6 has an adapted Orion 15-28mm lens with fixed focus attached.

A vintage camera mounted on a flat metal plate with mechanical parts, displayed in front of a textured brown carrying case with a flap closure. — A special plate holds the camera in place.

A vintage Zorki-6 rangefinder film camera with a silver and black body is displayed against a metal background. The lens and various dials and buttons are visible on the camera’s front and top. — The Zorki-6 rangefinder is operated via a squeeze of the briefcase.

A close-up of a vintage metal camera shutter release mechanism attached to a textured, brown surface, with markings and a circular dial visible in the center. — The tiny camera is hidden in the briefcase latch.

A vintage black and silver camera is mounted on a textured metal plate with mechanical components and levers beside it, possibly part of an old industrial or surveillance setup. — It is expected to sell for somewhere between $1,600 and €1,800.

Leitz Photographica says the camera works via an “ingenious system allowing to crank and release the shutter by squeezing the case”. It means the camera can be operated discreetly so the target is none the wiser. The brilliant setup is expected to sell for between 1,400 and 1,600 Euros.

The briefcase isn’t the only covert camera in the auction: a Czech-made Meopta Oko II/TI-340 spy camera shoots 16mm film and can be hidden inside a document folder. The motorized body can shoot up to 70 exposures and is engineered to operate silently. Kosmo Foto notes that only a handful are thought to have survived the Cold War.

A gray marbled file binder labeled "Es-Fi" stands upright next to a magnifying glass, a metal key, and some scattered documents on a white background. — The fake documents folder is empty to house a spy camera instead.

A black and gray marbled lever-arch file folder with a beige label on the spine, featuring the text “SEGREGATOR” and “Es-Fi,” standing upright on a white background. — Courtesy of Leitz Photographica

A vintage black camera with a lens on the front sits next to a matching square black accessory, both on a white background. — The camera is motorized and designed for 6mm unperforated film loaded in special cassettes, allowing up to 70 shots.

Close-up of a camera lens labeled "Xenon 1:2/35" mounted on a textured black surface, next to a paper label with codes "1024-312 BN-70/7385-03 CENA 14-ZL". — The camera is silent so the target won’t suspect anything.

Other spy cameras on sale include the Krasnogorsk Tochka S-25, a James Bond-style device that uses 9.5mm film in special cassettes. “The size is almost identical to a Riga Minox,” writes Leitz.

A compact, rectangular black vintage camera with a small round lens and simple controls on top, resembling a classic spy camera. — The Krasnogorsk Tochka S-25 has a tiny film cassette inside and is extremely discreet.

But perhaps the rarest item in the auction is a previously unknown subminiature spy camera that was used by the Stasi, East Germany’s feared secret police. It shoots 9x9mm square format images and measures a minuscule 1.1 inches by 0.6 inches (3cm by 1.5cm). This camera is expected to go for between €6,000 and €8,000 (roughly $7,000 and $9,000).