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In 1994, Nikon produced a very
limited edition of FM2 Titanium to commemorate the Year of the Dog. It states
on the box that a total of only 300 units were made. The serial numbers
start from No.9400001. My camera illustrated here is the 11th ever made.
The highest serial number goes beyond 9400300. I have seen with my own eyes a boxed example with
serial No.940031x. I don't believe Nikon would lie to us when it says, "300
pcs limited products" on the box. They might have reserved some top
plates as replacement parts. It was also possible that some "unlucky
numbers" had been deliberately skipped because those cameras probably
would not be very popular for Chinese people. Those are only my theories.
If you know or can come up with a better explanation, I am all ears. |
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I bought this camera from a dealer who was the only importer
of this model in Hong Kong. They imported quite a number of these cameras
from Taiwan and sold them all out. I was told most of the buyers were
tourists, mainly sharp-eyed Japanese collectors. Knowing its potential
value in the years to come, some people would even buy more than one unit
at a time. As a collector, I naturally asked for an early serial number.
I thought I was fairly lucky to get this No.9400011. Two days later, the
shop told me the No.9400010 showed up! I thought about it for a couple
of days and finally decided to dip deeper into my pocket. I went back
to the shop but only to find out it had been sold already! I really regretted
missing this opportunity of a lifetime to acquire two early consecutive
numbers of this rare camera. I once chatted with the boss of that camera shop about
this camera. He told me it was apparently a special order from Nikon Taiwan,
mainly for regional markets. That 's why all the cameras seemed to have
come from Taiwan. It also explains why this camera was virtually unknown
to most western collectors. Not even mighty Peter Braczko mentioned about
this camera in his books. If you look at the other commemorative models
like Gold FA, F2 25th Anniversary, F5 50th Anniversary, FM2 Year of the
Dragon, they were all presented with dedicated box set and had a sizable
production of 2,000 units or more. By comparison, the FM2/T Year of the
Dog "package" doesn't look like a serious attempt at all. Its
box (save the sticker), user manual and accessories are just the same
as the ordinary FM2/T's. Nevertheless, this is still a VERY RARE and beautiful
camera. In fact, I prefer it this way. I really cannot bring myself to
buy one of those Anniversary models. Those special box set with velvet
lining, dedicated neck strap and personal certificate just make those
cameras far too commercial and too gimmicky to me. |