$17,625
Nikon I Camera No. 609339, 24 x 32 mm., chrome, the top plate engraved Nippon Kodaku, Tokyo , the base plate Made in Occupied Japan , the back numbered internally 609339, with a Nippon Kogaku Nikkor-Q.C f/3.5 5 cm. lens no. 7052381, (lacking slow speeds dial, light rubs on top and base plates and body leather, acceptable wear on accessory shoe, shutter working). Note: The Nikon I was produced between March 1948 and March 1949. Although it was originally thought that around seven hundred examples of the Nikon I were produced (cameras with 700-prefix digits have been recorded), research by Robert Rotoloni suggests that only around four hundred units actually came to the market. Of the missing numbers, approximately two hundred may have been converted into Nikon M cameras in the factory; this would have been a relatively simple job for the fledgling Japanese camera industry, involving changing the focal plane, adding a new sprocket wheel, and fitting new top and base plates. Nikon I No. 609339 would have been produced between December 1948 and January 1949, roughly half-way through the allocated serial numbers, and before the conversion from Nikon I to Nikon M began. Research suggests that, of the various combinations, only around one hundred examples of the f / 3.5 lens were made. Thanks to Robert Rotoloni for assistance with this lot.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2006-07-29
