Approx. dates of manufacture: 1955
Approx. original price: $50
Approx. street value: Low
This is a Minolta model A rangefinder from late 1955. It was their first camera to have a coupled rangefinder (coupled means that it automatically adjusts as you turn the lens focus).
The lens is a fixed mount "Chiyoko Rokkor" 45mm ƒ/3.5.
There are three variants of this camera. The original had a two-blade Flickr shutter with a high speed of 1/200th. Mine here is the second version, which has an Optiper shutter with 1/300th top speed. A third version came out in 1956 with a Citizen shutter, also 1/300th. According to Camera-wiki, the Optiper was made by Citizen, so I don't know why they dropped it and went with the Citizen name later. I am also ignorant of any other difference between the two shutters. (Actually I've just written everything I know about all three).
The shutters (all) are M and X flash compatible via a PC plug. There's a cold shoe on top. The plunger-shutter release is on the right side next to the ratchet-style winder lever, and there's a lens focus plate up front that can be used by one's left index finger, though mine is a bit stiff and awkward. The rewind knob is on the left top, and the back release is on the bottom left side. All in all it's a modern configuration, unlike a lot of interesting-but-strange setups coming out of Germany at the same time. The only thing that's not modern is the film counter window, which is on the bottom plate, so you have to flip it upside down to see where you are in the roll.
Mine was $12 from a consignment junk shop. For that price I assumed it was jammed, but it appears to work nicely. It is missing the leatherette on the front but it doesn't really seem to spoil its looks. The leatherette on the back is starting to come off but is currently still intact. The camera came with the leather never-ready case but that's falling apart.
I haven't been actively acquiring cameras, but I still pick up the odd one here and there if the price is too low to ignore.
Mike Ekman has a very nice page about this camera and the A-series in general.
Camera manual: Orphan Cameras.com