Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex I
The Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex I is a medium-format twin-lens reflex camera taking 6x6cm images on 120 roll film, introduced in the mid-1930s. It sits at the entry level of the Ikoflex TLR range and is known to collectors by the nickname 'Coffee Can', a reference to the cylindrical pressing used for the earlier and later body variants.
At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the Ikoflex I have ranged from around £15 to £75, with a median close to £50 — wholesale saleroom levels that sit well below dealer retail. In today's market the Coffee Can body is not a high-value Zeiss Ikon collectable, and the price a buyer pays is driven almost entirely by cosmetic condition and whether the shutter and focusing are working. Two 2003 Leitz-auction results of £136 and £172 show that clean, early examples have historically sold for more, but recent data suggests the camera is worth substantially less today than twenty years ago.
Variants
| Variant | Years | Edition | Sales | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee Can (earlier) | — | — | 3 | £50 – £75 |
| Coffee Can (later) | — | — | 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.
| Date | Price | Source | Variant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | £56 | Flints Auctions | — | |
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Auction: Cameras & Scientific Instruments (Lot 258) Title: A Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex "Coffee Can" Earlier Model Medium Format TLR Camera
Description:
black, body G, shutter working, missing one strap lug, with Novar Anastigmat 8cm f/4.5 lens, optics F, haze present, together with maker's ever-ready (Qty: 1) |
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| Aug 2025 | £50 | Flints Auctions | Coffee Can (earlier) | |
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Auction: Cameras & Scientific Instruments (Lot 149) Title: A Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex TLR "Coffee Can" 850/16 Camera
Description:
black, body F-G, some paint wear, shutter fires, with a Novar-Anastigmat f/4.5 8cm lens, optics F with haze. |
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| Oct 2024 | £75 | Flints Auctions | Coffee Can (earlier) | |
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Auction: Cameras & Scientific Instruments (Lot 179) Title: A Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 850/16 "Coffee Can" TLR Camera
Description:
black, body G, some brassing around distance scale and minor paint loss, shutter working, focus working, iris working, lens is a Novar f/4.5 8cm, |
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| Aug 2024 | £15 | Special Auction Services | — | |
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Auction: TWO DAY: Photographica & Cameras Auction (Lot 7) Title: A Zeiss Ikon Coffee Can Ikoflex TLR Camera
Description:
A Zeiss Ikon Coffee Can Ikoflex TLR Camera, shutter working, body G, paint wear/brassing to edges, with 8cm f/4.5Novar Anastigmat lens, elements F-P, |
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| Jun 2024 | £40 | Special Auction Services | — | |
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Auction: Photographica & Cameras Auction (Lot 205) Title: A Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 850/16 Coffee Can TLR Camera
Description:
A Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 850/16 Coffee Can TLR Camera, shutter working, body F, paint wear/brassing to edges, with Nova 8cm f/4.5 Anastigmat lens, |
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| Mar 2023 | £38 | Flints Auctions | — | |
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Auction: The Collectors Sale (Lot 291) Title: A Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 850/16 Medium Format TLR Camera
Description:
black, 1936, serial no.B14127, not "coffee can" model, fan-style focusing lever, with a Novar-Anastigmat f/4.5 8cm lens, shutter sticking at slow |
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| Aug 2022 | £62 | Flints Auctions | — | |
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Auction: The Collectors Sale (Lot 459) Title: A Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex "Coffee Can" Medium Format TLR Camera
Description:
black, body F, signs of heavy use, shutter working, optics P-F, some haze & fungus present, (Qty: 1) |
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| Mar 2022 | £75 | Flints Auctions | Coffee Can (earlier) | |
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Auction: The Collectors sale (Lot 611) Title: An Early Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 'Coffee Can' Medium Format TLR
Description:
black, body G, shutter working, optics F-G, some haze & fungus present, in maker's ever ready case, (Qty: 1) |
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| Nov 2003 | EUR 172 | Leitz Auction | — | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 4 (Lot AI_4_22656) Title: Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 850/16
Description:
6x6cm, Novar 4,5/8 cm. o. Nr. 2. Version, Klio, Export-Modell, "feet". Estimate: EUR 1,935 - EUR 36 |
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| Nov 2003 | EUR 136 | Leitz Auction | — | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 4 (Lot AI_4_22654) Title: Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 850/16
Description:
Novar 4,5/8 cm. o. Nr. Derval, Export-Modell, "feet", schwarze Chromteile, selten ! Estimate: EUR 1,934 - EUR 13,990 |
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| May 2003 | EUR 125 | Leitz Auction | — | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 2-3 (Lot AI_2_21771) Title: Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 850/16
Description:
6x6cm TLR, Novar 4.5/8cm in Derval shutter, 2.version Ikoflex I in fine condition Estimate: EUR 1,934 - EUR 9,907 |
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