All cameras and related photo equipment are in operating order and in mostly 5-10 condition. The list is meant as a curiosity for camera buffs. Items for sale can be viewed and purchased by using the link below. My reference for pricing is "McKeown's - Price Guide to Antique & Classic Cameras". I do not collect them with resale in mind but simply for the interest in variety and style. As you can see I do not have "high-end" cameras, most were intended for the general public and mass produced.

  COLLECTING CAMERAS

I started to have an interest in cameras while in the Air Force, in the mid 1960's. Someone gave me an Argus C-3, it had a lot of external dials and controls that I thought was pretty nifty. That camera was lost somewhere in my various moves but the interest was stimulated. I began collecting in earnest in the very early 1970's when I would frequent the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Volunteers of America and other second hand stores, flea markets and the like.

I currently have approximately 600+ cameras that range from large format film (4x5 in negatives) to the spy type cameras with 16mm film. I add to my collection in basically the same way I began, that is going to flea markets, yard sales, and auctions. My family has also given me cameras for special occasions that they have picked up in their travels as have other friends and acquaintances. I have a number of novelty cameras that go on key rings, have funny faces on them, are disposable, are water canteens, they squirt water or they have pop out characters.

The cameras that I collect have individual values of less than $300.00 each. The average price paid for the cameras is probablybout $5-10.Because they weren't bought from other dealers or in camera shops and I began collecting when prices were much lower than they are today. There are several camera pricing guides (Blue Books) that collectors use to determine who made it, when, what model it is, what condition it's in and price ranges based on the collective information. One of the top resources for me on cameras is “McKeown’s Price Guide to Antique and Classic cameras”.  

The oldest camera in the collection was made in the 1890's, by Kodak, about 50 years after the world's first photographic print was made. The newest are the ones I use in my work, a Nikon F4, Olympus OM-4’s and an Nikon D200 digital.

It would be difficult to identify one camera that is the most interesting from the collection. There is a 35mm "Balda" camera, a fold out type that is an "art deco" style that I have used before

One that I really like is the "Voightlander", both are German made and of excellent lens quality for photography. The old Kodak "Autographics" are very interesting, the forerunner to the data back of modern cameras because they came with a metal pen that you could scribe information onto the film with.

I enjoy the variety of cameras that have been produced and the newer ones on currently on the market. Each has features and styles that make them unique and attractive to a wide variety of collectors and users. I do not collect cameras to resell, but more as an investment for myself and my children to enjoy later. I have considered loaning the collection to a museum or local source for exhibit but haven't pursued this lately.

For anyone interested in beginning a collection of cameras you should obtain a few pricing guides so that you will understand how condition and value is related. Many times when I see a camera that interests me or that I don't have, its price is prohibitive because it is sometimes assumed that because it's old, and it’s valuable. That just isn't so, many camera were made by the hundreds of thousands and so they are easy to find and so less valuable. I usually only buy a camera that is in working condition. I am not a camera repair expert and with many of the older cameras, parts are no longer available. Of course if the camera were extremely rare and affordable, I would purchase it just because of the rarity.