Goodwill Seemingly Has No Clue It’s Selling a Previously Unknown Leica Prototype Lens
An exceedingly rare Leica prototype lens is up for auction right now. No, it’s not at Leitz Photographica or Wetzlar Camera Auctions. It’s at Goodwill.
Per Lenstag’s founder, Trevor Sehrer, this lens appears to be a previously unknown second copy of a very rare prototype lens that most recently sold for nearly $50,000.
In 2021, PetaPixel reported on what was then believed to be a one-of-a-kind prototype: the Leica / Hughes Leitz 17mm f/2. Leica Store Lisse was selling the 26-pound behemoth lens for $47,200. This same lens had been listed on eBay four years prior for $24,000, as Leica Rumors wrote in January 2018.
A Leica / Hughes Leitz 17mm f/2 prototype lens, which looks identical to the one sold in 2021 except for its C530-0004 model number rather than the C530-0007 one seen five years ago, is somehow at Goodwill of the Great Plains in Sioux Falls, South Dakota right now.
It’s being sold in “as is” condition. It seems Goodwill doesn’t fully appreciate what it has on its hands, listing it like a regular lens instead of the treasure it is.
”We do our best to describe items completely and accurately, but we are not experts,” Goodwill warns, adding that prospective bidders should look very carefully at the included photos, as they are effectively serving as the product’s description.
Even if the Leica / Hughes Leitz 17mm f/2 lens available right now at Goodwill is not in great condition — although it does look good — it remains an exceptionally collectible piece of photographic history.
People have stumbled upon incredible Leica gear in unusual places before. Last year, Ontario photographer Brandon Simpson found a $2,000 Leica at a thrift store for $10. A teenager in 2021 found an entire Leica M kit for $15 at a church sale. A few years before that, a college student grabbed a Leica M5 at a thrift store for just $5.
At the time of writing, Goodwill’s Leica / Hughes Leitz 17mm f/2 prototype lens is $3,008 after seven bids. While it’s much pricier than the thrift store finds above, it may still sell for what amounts to a steal. The bidding ends at 9:50 PM ET (6:50 PM PT) today, October 30. Good luck.
Image creditsGoodwill
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