SAEDNEWS: In a 1991 report by the Los Angeles Times, the ring camera is described as follows: the camera lens is concealed within the central gemstone at the top of the ring. The seller states that he purchased this ring from the antique camera collection of a Japanese collector named Shibata.
According to the Saed News website, citing Soraya, fans of rare and unusual cameras with sufficient budget should not miss this interesting camera ring. The item is a rare gold ring that allegedly contains a hidden camera used by Soviet KGB intelligence agents. It was last listed for sale on eBay for $19,277.
The seller, using the name hit-camera-ltd-7569 from North York, Ontario, Canada, stated in the listing description that only two such rings exist in the world. He also claimed that the first version of this ring was sold about 30 years ago at a Christie’s public auction.
A spokesperson cited by the Los Angeles Times in 1991 said that they believed no other example of this camera ring existed in the world. That version was sold for $22,400—more than double its estimated value—and was purchased by an anonymous Japanese buyer.
However, the version listed on eBay differs in a notable way from the 1991 example. The earlier ring was only gold-plated, while the newer one is made entirely of 14-karat solid gold.
According to the 1991 Los Angeles Times report, the camera lens is hidden in the central gemstone at the top of the ring. The seller claims he acquired the ring from a collection of antique cameras belonging to a Japanese collector named Shibata.
It remains unclear whether this is the same ring that was sold in 1991, since the earlier version was gold-plated, while this one is described as solid gold. Despite this, the current listing is offered at a significantly lower price than the original sale, which reached $22,400 in March 1991 (approximately $41,400 in today’s value).
The seller also stated that the hidden camera inside the ring can capture images on 8mm film. It includes multiple aperture settings at the back of the crown-shaped setting, high-quality clean lenses, a circular film holder, and a film cover, all built into a 14-karat gold structure.
