A Leica camera was auctioned off at the Leitz Photographica Auction in Vienna on Saturday afternoon for a record price of 6.5 million euros. The camera is a special model that the manufacturer in Wetzlar made for Pope Francis with the special serial number 5,000,000. The purely analogue camera has a silver chrome finish, white leather and features Pope Francis’ motto “Miserando atque eligendo” (“Chosen by Mercy”) on the back.
According to the catalog, the camera was once presented to Francis; There are photos of the ceremony that show the Pope, who died in the spring, at his desk with the gift.
The camera manufacturer has a long tradition of reserving cameras with special serial numbers for outstanding personalities; Queen Elizabeth also repeatedly received devices from Wetzlar. For financially strong collectors, especially in Asia, these special models are enormously fascinating and regularly achieve top prices.
In Vienna, the minute-long bidding duel, which was, as usual, led by TV auctioneer Wolfgang Pauritsch, was decided over the telephone. The “Pope” Leica is the second most expensive Leica ever auctioned. The proceeds go to charity.