Kiev II 1952 .

Tales of the Unexpected -
It's not fair .
Recently I bought a K IIa from Spain , having given up on it , it arrived in beautiful condition though the broken Self timer lever had been forced into the face plate maknig a dint .
Much too good to mess with , groan ...

Now I have just opened a 1952 Kiev II - with 1957 lens and no spool , I anticipated this to be rough ... It isn't , it's near mint ! The leather still has it's crispness and hardness - never been stretched . What small marks there are seem to be from careless handling .I can even see original glue on the edges .
The paint is still shiny with just the tiniest of edge chipping .
The cream egdge of the case lining is unsoiled , and the case aslo has this cripsness ...
but with careless scrubs as if just thrown around ... I don't hold with '' Mint '' but this is as good as it gets for 1952 !

The shutter shows faint marks of minor use , but the matt black paint is pristine .
This has to be CLA , cutting into Special funds , though the IIa may be destined for a new 1947 chrome fascia .

Just my luck ... [ grin ]

I have tidied the scratched paint on my cla 1951 Kiev II and now have a pair of lovely quality cameras , with my specials to come .