From what I understand, Canon Japan may have authorized a third party to produce this limited-edition A-1 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Japan Camera Show in 1979. Other similar special editions were also made for Pentax and Minolta, and possibly others, although no concrete evidence exists.

Only 20 were produced and were only available in Japan at the show.

Its design was typical of many of the best-known Japanese camera manufacturers at that time. Canon, Contax, Nikon, and Yashica all produced similar commemorative editions featuring lizard-skin finishes and unique badges.

Twenty is an extremely low amount from such a large manufacturer. This one is currently available on eBay and Etsy.

For further reading, please visit Mr. Carlos Snap’s excellent article. https://cameracollection.eu/2025/03/30/canon-a-1

My Contax 137 MD Quartz anniversary camera.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Comments are always welcome; I’ve learned a great deal from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by. While there, visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios, hosted on Etsy). – Chris Whelan

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