Fakes... The Russian Connection.This will be my most controversial article ever. An inventory of known fakes (to me that is) and a small guide to recognize them. Retracing is a lot of work. I know of several fakes, I've seen several but a lot of fakes are just rumours.Though their historical value is at best questionable. They can be a lot of fun to collect. This list will not contain prototypes. This list will also never be finished. Fakes are still popping up. This list summarizes the fakes, most of these I've never seen or only seen on the Internet (and the internet can be a very unreliable source). I do own several fakes as seen in the photo above. Upper Row, the Red Fed, this is a fake I made myself, I just painted it and made up the story behind it myself, why? Read the Tom Tiger and the Red FED article. But in short, it is a warning about the strange myths that people use to sell you a russian camera. Okay, some of them are just plain lies. Second is the Zorki 5 "Cobra". Made by a very skilled repairman from the Ukraine. He did a very good job, CLA'd leatherette stripped and this skin added, nice camera. Bottom row, the "Bildberichter" which turns out to be a fifties FED 1E. In the middle the Silver Zorki 1 b/c, no pretence, just a good looking camera. No history whatsoever. Last but not least, the Fed "Snakey". A Fed 1G with its vulcanite stripped and this snakeskin added. It is a homemade job and the seller on ebay said this very honestly. Some people hate it others love it. Personally I think it looks very cool but the camera still needs some work. What brings people to make this? Money, nice and short answer. These fakes sell for double and sometimes triple the amount a normal Zorki or Fed goes for. For instance a Zorki one will set you back between 70 and 100 dollars (US) but a fake goes for 125 up to 225 dollars. Or even higher.... They were made from Zorki 1 and Fed 1 cameras. The cameras were stripped, polished re-engraved, repainted and yes even recalibrated. Topplates can be either "re-engraved" or pherhaps someone made a new mould and are they stamped again. Or maybe they have a small supply... who knows. It seems to have become a small industry. Thusfar we know of several of these "forgers" a group in Moscow, or even just one man in Moscow. And a group in Poland. Is this a bad thing ? It just depends how you look at it. A friend of mine who is a serious collector actually said that he loves the fakes, there making his collection worth more every day. Other people don't like them, pherhaps these are the hardcore collectors who see these cameras as historical objects. Personally I think that these cameras might be worth something, after a few decades that is. The numbers of good Zorki 1's and Fed 1's are not endless and one day in the near future the source will run dry. And I like them. Some are downright beautifull and qualify more as a work of art than as a camera. As long as these cameras are sold as fakes and not as original Leicas I can't see the harm in it. There is no law in taking apart a camera and repainting it. I would't even call the people who made these fakes "forgers" but great workers who made several beautifull cameras that are a great addition to any collection. I wouldn't mind having a few of them. But people who sell them as originals.... these are the conartists of the cameramarket. And there are a lot of them around. Even on the internet, esspecially on the internet. Just have a look at the auctionsites. Or just have a look at a camerastore. Some just happened to have a Gold Leica.... Back to the top |
Places to get them.....Russian Souvenirs Okay... one place... but there is allways ebay... Back to the top |