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Suzuki Opticalco. Echo 8

The Suzuki Opticalco. Echo 8 is a subminiature camera produced in Japan, notable as a disguised-style miniature designed to look like a cigarette lighter. It dates from the mid-twentieth century subminiature era and was sold as a novelty spy-style camera rather than a general-purpose consumer model.

At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the Echo 8 have spanned a very wide range, from £260 up to £22,000, reflecting sharp differences between plain user examples and rare complete outfits. The most recent 2025 result settled at £688, while a 2013 sale reached £1,600, so a realistic guide to what a typical Echo 8 is worth today sits in the low-to-mid hundreds, with exceptional boxed examples selling for far more. These are wholesale saleroom results, so what a collector pays at retail will sit above these figures.

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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.

Date Price Source
Nov 2025 £688 Flints Auctions
Jan 2024 USD 500 pedia_sales_tamarkin
Mar 2018 EUR 650 Leitz Auction
Nov 2015 EUR 850 Leitz Auction
Mar 2014 EUR 850 Leitz Auction
May 2013 EUR 1,600 Leitz Auction
Feb 2006 £264 Christie's
Nov 2002 EUR 21,875 Leitz Auction
May 2000 £1,175 Christie's

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