Patrick,
The story, a very unusual one BTW, goes like this: Some nine years ago, a local minilab owner who also did small-time trading in used cameras and lenses called me at the office saying that some months before I had told him that I was interested in old rangefinders and that he had an old Leica on commission. Fearing that the asking price would be more than I was budgeting at the moment (Mexico was in deep economic turmoil, again), I cautiosly asked the pretended price and he replied the equivalent of five _hundred_ dollars. When, shocked, I didn't reply immediately, he added: "but it comes with a few lenses and accessories in a nice leather case". In three minutes I was with my checkbook in hand aboard my car and speeding towards his shop. On arrival I found a very clean IIIc with sharkskin, factory converted to IIIf/ST, plus a Summarit 50/1.5, an Elmar 50/3.5 (coated, BD), a Hektor 28/6.3, the Summarex 85/1.5 (with an ugly filter thread bend), an Imarekt viewfinder with 28 bubble converted, an original cable release (damaged), three filters for the Summarit (damaged), the original clip-on leather strap, plus assorted caps and hoods for the lenses.
Overwhelmed, I mentioned that it wasn't possible that the lot was being sold for that ridiculous amount and the shop owner replied that the seller was a young guy, student of journalism, who had inherited the gear some time ago from his deceased grandfather, a former pro photographer but that the camera didn't work (cracked curtains, red); no body was able to put film inside it or even fathom how it worked and that this guy had been desperately tring to sell the lot and found no takers after visiting severak other shops and studios. This last thing was an incredible break of luck because he had visited business owned by keen collectors but didn't find them.
I got an affidavit from the store that the goods were in good provenance, got out my checkbook and paid US$150 more than the guy asked.
When I reached my McKeown's I almost fainted. Just the Summarex was worth more than I had paid. The camera was sent to a shop in NJ for curtain repair and CLA, a $350 job plus another $50 in S&H, and when it came back it became my perdition. I ceased shooting my beautiful Rolleiflexes, my 6003, my 4x5 and stumbled head on into RF-dom. First some CV lenses, a Bessa R2 that were followed by an M6, an M2 and an MP.
Sadly but probably fortunately as well, I never met the kid. I would have probably got cold feet and give him some extra $500; better placed towards the CV glass. ;-)