The Leica M3 is one of the most iconic cameras ever made. Introduced in 1954, 220 000 units were sold until the end of its production in 1966. So how much will it cost to get your hands on the final M3 that was ever produced?

Well, not much more than a cool R7.6 million as it’s currently for sale on Ebay. The model, #1164865 seems to be the real deal, coming with the original packaging, the matching service card rope, all the foam fittings and caps, complete with the original untouched "L" seal.

If you still doubt the camera’s genuineness, then maybe the letters of authenticity from Leica, the original matching order number from the original owner to reserve the camera in 1968, and an additional letter from Leica to reiterate the authenticity of this camera, will help.

Mr T.C. March, the gent who reserved the camera, also kept the receipt of his purchase from Leica London in 1968. How much he bought it for is not stated.

Here is what Leica wrote back to March in 1983, in a question he had regarding the authenticity of the M3:  

“We can confirm the statement made by Mr. Parmiter that the camera with serial No. 1164865 is the latest produced LEICA M3.

We are glad to learn that you are the LEICA owner and user for such a long time.

Thanks for being a part of the LEICA family.”

The first Leica M3 ever pre-build model sold for slightly more than R1 million at an auction in 2009. This one is up for more than seven times that price, so it should be interesting to see if it fetches the price when the auction comes to a close on 28 June.