Holy grail of Leicas as Pope’s M-A brings £5.7m

Top image: Christoph Welkowitz

A Leica M-A paired with a Noctilux-M 1:1.2 50mm ASPH lens gifted to and owned by the late Pope Francis, smashed its modest estimate of €60–70K in the annual Leitz Photographica Auction at the weekend. In a dramatic bidding war, the set ultimately achieved an astonishing €6.5 million – around £5.7 million – with the entire sum donated to His Holiness’s personal charitable initiatives. The result marks one of the most significant single-lot sales in the auction’s history.

Other notable lots also performed strongly. A rare Leica M3, produced as a backup for the identical model presented to Queen Elizabeth II by the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany, exceeded its €90-120K estimate thanks to its unique provenance, bringing in €156,000. A coveted MP in black paint, a finish highly sought after by Leica collectors, also outperformed expectations.

Adding further prestige to the event was one of the few surviving Leica I ‘Luxus’ models dating back to 1929 – a gold-finished rarity long considered a crown jewel of early Leica production – which achieved a robust hammer price above forecast.