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Voigtlander& Sohn Bessa II

The Voigtländer Bessa II is a folding medium-format rangefinder camera that exposes 6×9 cm negatives on 120 roll film. It was introduced in 1950 as the top folder in the postwar Voigtländer range, offered with a choice of lens fittings that drove very different price points when new.

At recent UK auction, hammer results for standard Bessa II examples have clustered between roughly £350 and £900, with a median around £480 across the sales tracked here. The model is strongly lens- and condition-sensitive at saleroom level: the November 2025 result of £6,500 reflects the large premium buyers will pay today for the scarce Apo-Lanthar lens variant, while a more typical Color-Skopar or Color-Heliar example is worth a small fraction of that figure and sells for well under four figures in clean order.

Variants

Select a variant to filter the sales history below.

Variant Years Edition Sales Price Range
Three Crowns 0

Sales History

Prices shown are UK auction hammer results — the wholesale level achieved in the saleroom. Neither buyer’s nor seller’s commission is included. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher.

Prices updated: November 2025

Date Price Source Variant
Nov 2025 £225 🇬🇧 pedia_sales_londoncamera
Nov 2025 £6,500 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Nov 2024 £312 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Nov 2024 £275 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Aug 2024 £300 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
May 2024 £2,750 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Apr 2023 £338 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Nov 2022 £525 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Jun 2022 £525 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Feb 2022 £200 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Nov 2021 EUR 550 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Jun 2021 EUR 800 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2020 EUR 550 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2020 £806 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Oct 2019 £420 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Oct 2019 £360 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Nov 2018 £480 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Oct 2017 £6,960 🇬🇧 Flints Auctions
Nov 2015 EUR 6,500 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2014 EUR 340 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Mar 2014 EUR 3,000 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2013 EUR 600 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2013 EUR 650 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2012 EUR 1,300 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
May 2012 EUR 750 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2011 EUR 900 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Dec 2009 EUR 550 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2008 EUR 420 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2008 EUR 320 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Jun 2008 EUR 380 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Jun 2008 EUR 650 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Jun 2008 EUR 400 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2007 EUR 320 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2007 EUR 420 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
May 2005 EUR 240 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
May 2005 EUR 220 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
May 2005 EUR 2,708 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Feb 2005 £192 🇬🇧 Christie's
Nov 2004 EUR 573 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2004 EUR 354 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Sep 2004 £310 🇬🇧 Christie's
May 2004 EUR 542 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
Nov 2003 £293 🇬🇧 Christie's
Apr 2003 £376 🇬🇧 Christie's
Mar 2003 £352 🇬🇧 Christie's
Nov 2002 EUR 625 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction
May 2002 £211 🇬🇧 Christie's
Nov 2001 £176 🇬🇧 Christie's
Nov 2001 £352 🇬🇧 Christie's
Sep 2001 £1,527 🇬🇧 Christie's
May 2001 £199 🇬🇧 Christie's
May 2001 £293 🇬🇧 Christie's
Mar 2001 £258 🇬🇧 Christie's
Mar 2001 £376 🇬🇧 Christie's
Oct 2000 £305 🇬🇧 Christie's
Jul 2000 £411 🇬🇧 Christie's
May 1999 £437 🇬🇧 Christie's
May 1998 £276 🇬🇧 Christie's
Jan 1998 £345 🇬🇧 Christie's
Jan 1998 £322 🇬🇧 Christie's

Frequently asked questions

What is a Voigtländer Bessa II worth today?

At UK auction a Bessa II with the standard Color-Skopar or Color-Heliar lens is typically worth £350 to £900 at the hammer depending on cosmetic and mechanical condition, while an Apo-Lanthar example can sell for several thousand pounds, as shown by a £6,500 result in late 2025.

How much does a Bessa II sell for at auction?

Recent hammer prices have ranged from about £360 for a tired but working example to £525 for a cleaner standard-lens body, with the headline Apo-Lanthar sale reaching £6,500.

Why do some Bessa II cameras sell for so much more than others?

The price is driven primarily by which lens is fitted; the Apo-Lanthar version is scarce and commands a multiple of the Color-Skopar and Color-Heliar variants, so the engraved lens name should always be confirmed when assessing value.

What film does the Bessa II use?

It takes standard 120 roll film and produces eight 6×9 cm negatives per roll.