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Voigtlander& Sohn Bessamatic

The Voigtländer Bessamatic is a 35mm leaf-shutter SLR introduced in 1959. It used the DKL bayonet mount, shared with certain Kodak Retina Reflex bodies, and featured a coupled selenium light meter. When new it was positioned as a mid-tier West German SLR competing with Zeiss Ikon's Contaflex.

At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the Bessamatic have typically fallen in the £15–£140 range, with a median around £60 across the last two years of saleroom results. As of 2026, a clean working body paired with a standard 50mm lens is what a buyer should expect to pay toward the top of that band, while meterless or cosmetically tired examples sell for under £40. Condition and the presence of an accurate selenium meter are the dominant value drivers — outliers such as an exceptional 2018 result of £300 show what a complete, well-kept kit is worth to the right collector.

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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
Mar 2026 £69 Flints Auctions
Jan 2026 £60 Special Auction Services
Jan 2026 £15 Special Auction Services
Jan 2026 £30 Special Auction Services
May 2025 £31 Flints Auctions
May 2025 £140 Special Auction Services
Mar 2025 £88 Chiswick Auctions
Mar 2025 £25 Special Auction Services
Jan 2025 £101 Chiswick Auctions
Aug 2024 £70 Special Auction Services
Feb 2024 £40 Special Auction Services
Aug 2023 £475 Flints Auctions
Aug 2023 £438 Flints Auctions
Mar 2023 £88 Flints Auctions
Oct 2022 £69 Flints Auctions
Nov 2018 £300 Flints Auctions
Nov 2018 £96 Flints Auctions
Mar 2007 £132 Christie's
Jun 2005 £96 Christie's
Oct 1999 £172 Christie's
Mar 1998 £195 Christie's

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