[PenPusher]

I will admit to being poorly informed as to whether or not Pentax ever made special cameras but a Snakeskin Gold LX with Gold 50mm F1.2 lens just made €1,269 on the EU e-bay site.

Is this a genuine product ?

It looks suspicious to me as it was followed by a Gold Contax a few minutes later.

CD

[topace]

The Gold LX is a real thing, as far as I can tell not having seen it in the flesh.

From Wikipedia:

In October 1981, Pentax made available 300 limited edition Pentax LX Gold cameras to celebrate having produced 10 million SLR cameras, the first camera manufacturer to reach that milestone according to the accompanying certificate. The camera and its SMC 1:1.2 50 mm lens is partly gold plated and partly covered in brown reptile skin, while some details are made of brown plastic, and it came with a brown ever-ready case. Cameras for some markets such as the U.S. have brown leather instead of reptile skin supposedly due to import laws. The actual number of cameras made is somewhat higher than 300 since a few were retained at Pentax reserved for their own use. The actual number for sale however was 300 cameras according to Pentax in Tokyo. It is a superb example of Japanese camera workmanship.

That by itself doesn't make the seller honest, of course.

Another googling turns up gold Contax RTSes being a thing too.

[PenPusher]

The Gold LX is a real thing, as far as I can tell not having seen it in the flesh.

From Wikipedia:
That by itself doesn't make the seller honest, of course.

Another googling turns up gold Contax RTSes being a thing too.

Thank You,

The specification certainly matches the image, definitely something for the display cabinet, you'd want some real nerve, at least I would, to wander down town sporting this outfit.

CD

[noblepa]

Pentax has a long history of making special edition cameras. Some were pretty simple and not much different than the camera they were based on.

Back in the seventies, they made a version of the Auto 110 with almost military coloring.

The K1000SE, which had brown leather and a split-window viewfinder.

The K10D had a special edition that came in a fancy box. I don't remember all the specs on that one, but it was a fairly standard K10D.

Plus, they used to make special display models for dealers. They made a fully-functional Auto 110 out of clear plastic. They made several other clear plastic cameras as well. I believe there was a clear SF-1. These were not made specifically for retail sale, but a few have escaped and appear on eBay from time to time.

[LesDMess]

Gold LX & Contax are real as pushed in the June 1983 Modern Photography magazine.




More on the gold Pentax LX -> Pentax LX Special GOLD Edition, 1981 - Index Page

[PenPusher]

Gold LX & Contax are real as pushed in the June 1983 Modern Photography magazine.




More on the gold Pentax LX -> Pentax LX Special GOLD Edition, 1981 - Index Page

Thank you, just goes to show you should never through anything out.

The Pentax on Pages 1 to 4 looks just like the one that sold, there was no mention of a wooden box or white gloves however on e-bay.

The Contax looks about the same as well.

I think the forum should include Gold LX in the camera database particularly as it was for the 10 millionth camera sold.

CD

[Moe49]

I own a Gold plated Asahi Pentax SV.
To date, I have never seen any evidence that it was an 'Official' Asahi Pentax release, like the Special Edition LXs.
So I suspect that my SV may have been dis-assembled by a private party, had it's metal exterior parts Gold plated (top cover, base plate, lens mount, and film rewind crank), and then re-assembled.
I wish they would have Gold plated the Super-Takumar 55/1.8's chrome ring and lens cap, too.

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Last edited by Moe49; 10-09-2015 at 10:01 AM.