I was waiting for this catalog. Tim Sharples (Exakta Circle Secretary) wrote me some months ago about this important sale. All the Exakta Circle members knew the collector and his great knowledge about Ihagee cameras.


The lots start with N. 69, a Dallmeyer wideangle f/6.5 2 3/8in. N. 208414 and other lenses and ends with the lot N. 93 300, an Exakta Night 533492 with a Meyer Primoplan 1.9/8cm 280. The collector was making a survey on VP cameras so here there are many of them for sale. The first one is an Original model, N. 400043, one of the first made, and I think there 'll be a big fight to be the successful bidder even if the condition is 5G. I know a collector who bought one (body N. under 400100) at around $1500. It comes with an Exakta Jr N. 430003, surely a Version 2. 800 (around $1.500 with the buyer's premium)
The lot number 72 is a pre-war Exakta 66 N.554006 with many lenses (you can see it, the second on the left on the preceding picture) 1500. A post-war Exakta 66 N. 602354 follows 800. It is impossible now to write about all lots but for the VP lovers I write about an Exakta B N. 466804 with a carl Zeiss 7,5cm, a Dallmeyer Dallon f/5.6 6 inches, a Meyer Telemegor f/5.5 15cm, a Meyer Telemegor f/5.5 18cm, a Carl Zeiss tele-Tessar f/6.3 18cm, a Meyer Doppel Anastigmat f/6.8 5,6cm. A rare to find outfit! 480
Then we find a cutaway Exakta Varex IIa No. 000105 600, a very interesting addition to a serious Exakta collection
The only Round Magnifier Kine (the first on the left on the following picture) comes with an unusual Exakta 35mm mount Biotar f/2 8cm and two telelenses 1400. The last 3 lots are Night Exaktas. The other lots comprise many cameras or lenses sometimes without an accurate description. There are some rare lenses, accessories and ephemera. You need to have a copy of the catalog! If you wish to receive it you must ask to Michael Pritchard writing that you saw this page! Probably you have to pay for a yearly subscription but you can have 8-9 great catalogs.

Do not miss the results, here, after the sale! (After the sale I added the results in red. You must add the buyer's premium and the VAT to have the final price).

After the end of the sale I called Christie's Results Service. Hereafter the text I sent to Michael Pritchard.

March 18, afternoon in Italy. I call the Christie's fax results service. I ask for the 8364 auction, South Kensington, and immediately I get the fax. Why I am so curious? Today's auction includes 24 important Exakta lots from the late Stein Falchenberg collection. I look at the fax. I am not happy. The reason why I am not happy with these results is that I do not like the auctions where there are too many lots (those with many items) with a poor description. I am not happy when I see some interesting items, like the stereflex with both lenses, sold together with other lenses, cameras and so on in a single lot, which is interesting only for a dealer. If you think that a collector owns many different cameras, lenses, accessories, and that he is always looking for the missing item, you cannot think that he MUST buy an expensive lot with double items only to get his beloved Stereflex or a Sonnar 85/2. For a dealer it is not important if there is a big lot, because he'll sell the single items one by one to different collector. I hope you understand what I mean with my poor English. This kind of auctions seem made for the dealer. And for the seller does the auction house give a good service or not? If every expensive item 'd have been sold separately, how much more money the seller could have got?
I wait for your reply. If I decide to put my text on the web please tell me if your text can be published or not.
Thanks for your attention ! And sorry for the matter of this message!

Michael sent a prompt reply:

Christie's make up lots, where necessary, to maximise the proceeds for the vendor. Our mimimum lot commission of £25 precludes selling lots of small value.

Obviously, we take into account what potential buyers are likely to want and will divide out items if it is likely this will help the final selling total (taking into account the commission structure). With respect to Stein's property much of this was not in good condition (it was a research collection rather than a collector's collection) and we felt it better for the vendor to keep lots fairly large so that the damaged and broken cameras were not left behind and just the 'good' pieces sold.

Looking at the buyers these seem evenly split between individual collectors and dealers (Japanese, German, US, UK and Austrian) which I think shows that this strategy was correct, although I accept that for you as an individual collector this was not a perfect situation.

You may publish if you wish.

Michael Pritchard
Christie's South Kensington

Comment by a Canadian collector:

I agree with you 100% about this. I too would have bid on a few more things if the lots were smaller. I would not have bid for the item I got (the cut-away IIa) if it had been in a big lot.
followed by another email.....
..... like that 8cm Biotar on the round mag, it should have been separate, it is a very rare lens, and so on and so on and so on.......

I am happy that a friend got the exa collection with the early very rare Exa 1/250!