Not sure about this one.

Chris and Carol

A reader sent me these pictures of his Yashica TL Electro X ITS camera and asked if I knew anything about this version. I hadn’t seen a gold and lizard skin Yashica before (Contax, yes; Yashica, no).

I’ve seen similar lizard skin coverings, but from the image, it’s difficult to tell if it would have been applied at the factory.
The serial number indicates it was made in August 1970.
The plating quality looks sub-par, but it’s pretty worn again, so it’s difficult to tell.

Here is a genuine gold Contax camera with lizard skin coverings that’s presently for sale on an online auction site (see below).

This one is in new condition, so comparing the two cameras is difficult. Yashica joined Contax in 1975 to create a new line of modern Contax-branded cameras.

I suppose Yashica or one of its distributors might have made this gold TL Electro X version, but if they did, they left off the ‘ITS’ logo (badge) that would have been on the camera’s front just to the left of the lens. See an example of a genuine TL Electro X ITS camera below.

What do you think? Genuine or not? Ultimately, it’s his camera, and if he likes it, then great. Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

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