The London sale of Photographica organised by the Photographic Collectors Club of Great Britain ( PCCGB ) was a success this year, making a substantial profit and recruiting additional members. As ever there were lots of stalls selling cameras and everything photographic. There was probably something for anybody interested in photography but, for me, there […]
A huge collection of wood and brass cameras was sold recently by SAS Auctions in Newbury and the sales totaled around £100k with a further £150k sales of Leica cameras and accessories. The early cameras included some wet plate cameras and many wooden cameras of varying formats and countries of origin. The auction of fine […]
Today I bought a Daguerreotype by Antoine Claudet of a man and a young girl. It was for sale in a local shop selling secondhand items and some antiques. The daguerreotype case bears the name of Claudet’s studio in London and it’s address. The invention of photography was announced in 1839 with the first announcement […]
If you are buying or selling an early or antique camera you will probably want to know when it was made and, quite possibly, who made it. Many early cameras proudly bear the maker or the seller’s name and details and this helps enormously in dating the camera. There are a good number of books […]
My website www.earlycameras.co.uk now features a Facebook page as well as a News section and I hope you will get in touch. I aim to provide updates on my purchases of early, rare and antique cameras, including Daguerreotype, wet plate and dry plate cameras, together with other items of interest. If you have a camera […]
I have bought stereo lenses by Buss for a Meagher stereo camera. The Petzval lenses are marked as being made in London and the company started in about 1858. The company was originally involved in the business of opticians and chemists and opticians were quick to see the opportunities that photography brought for expanding their […]
A local camera dealer has a wide selection of old cameras for sale including some early hand and box cameras. Amongst these was a camera by Benetfink of London and I was plaesed to snap it up if you excuse the pun. It’s a Lightning hand camera dating to around 1903 and it took 12 […]
When I last went to the Photographers Gallery in London I enquired about books relating to the history of photography and the development of cameras. The sales assistant said that he shared my interest but that the cost of researching and producing books on these subjects was prohibitive. the result was almost no books on […]
Handling, or better still owning, a beatiful hand made antique camera is a real thrill. Possibly the next best thing is to have an artist produce a one off unique drawing of a particular camera. this possibility had not crossed my mind until I saw the work of an Italian artist in an exhibition in […]
Selling early, antique or rare cameras can be difficult and problems can arise in relation to authenticity. Buyer beware is a good starting point. An example of one of the difficulties arose at a recent auction where a number of genuine cameras and items of equipment were being sold but many years after the items […]