Vintage Cameras: Collection or Decorating Element?

When guests walk into our home for the first time, it's not the abundance of vintage knotty pine woodwork and paneling that elicits comment (maybe they're just being polite). Nor is it my extensive collections of vintage Thermos, flower frogs or our books. Not even our Hoosier cabinet, antique wooden ice box or Stickley postal table. The oohs and aahs frequently are directed at my collection of more than 150 antique and vintage cameras.

"How many do you have?" people generally ask.

"More than 150," I always say, not quite sure of the number anymore.

Years ago I started a haphazard inventory of my cameras, but I didn't keep it current. So, I lost track of how many total cameras I have and how many are duplicates.

That's about to change. My husband gave me McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras for Christmas. It has more than 1,200 pages of photographs, descriptions and current values of cameras. It's the bible of camera collectors.

Cataloging my collection is one of my goals for the new year.

I've acquired most of my cameras at estates sales, but my own Brownie Flashfun (left), which I received for my 11th birthday, and my mother's Vigilant Junior Six-20 (right), which she received as a high school graduation gift, formed the basis of my collection.

Increasingly, I see vintage collectible cameras integrated into home decor. Indeed, they can make a nice addition in almost any setting.

In recent years--at least in my neck of the woods--I've been disappointed to see that estate sale proprietors, as well as many flea market and antique dealers, have grossly inflated the price of collectible cameras they offer--often up to five or six times the actual value of the camera. That means the casual collector or the young couple who just wants to pick up a camera or two to add interest to their decorating are paying much more than market value.

If you're interested in adding a few vintage cameras to your home decor or collecting for yourself or a young hobbyist, you'll discover that they're not difficult to find. Collecting vintage cameras such as the Kodak Brownies, many of the Ansco, Argus and Agfa models and several of the simple pocket type cameras that have come on the market since the early 1900s can be very affordable. The brightly colored models from the early 1960s, such as those seen above, are still in circulation and won't dent your pocketbook too badly.

Most of the Kodak Brownie models--and there are well over 50 Brownie types--have a market value of $20 or less. Many are in the $10 and under range. A good number of folding cameras from a variety of makers can still be purchased for $20 or less. Box cameras come in many shapes and sizes and often at a reasonable cost.

That said, as I noted, these same cameras can also carry price tags that are heftier than those mentioned above. To be fair to dealers and vendors who come across vintage cameras infrequently, finding reliable values that can be used in pricing is not as easy as it is with glassware, kitchenware and other more common antique and vintage items. The McKeown guide my hubby gave me is one of few--and, I believe, the most reliable--price guides on the market. It's expensive and not easy to find, other than on-line.

As you can tell, I have a love affair with antique and vintage cameras. I'm absolutely not an expert on them. But, I'm happy to share my camera hunting experiences or assist--if I can--if you have a curiosity about collecting cameras or a specific camera you'd like to find out more about. Feel free to leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you.

Make it a great day!

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