What Is A Brownie Camera Worth

Vintage Kodak Photographic camera Models and Values

Past

Kate Miller-Wilson

An gorging antiques collector herself, Kate has written about antiques for many years. She has likewise managed an online antiques community.

Antique Collector

Ownership and selling vintage Kodak cameras is easier if you empathize the models and the factors that affect value. Many of these onetime cameras are yet usable today, and a resurgence of interest in moving picture photography is driving demand for vintage Kodaks in adept shape. If you're considering buying 1 or accept an old Kodak from your grandparents, take a moment to learn about it and its value.

Notable Kodak Photographic camera Models

Since its beginning in 1887, Kodak has fabricated hundreds of models of cameras. It all started because Kodak founder George Eastman worked to observe means to make photography easier and more attainable to people. Eastman began by inventing a auto to apace coat glass plates with photo-sensitive emulsion, just he didn't end there. The glass plates were heavy and bad-mannered to carry, and Eastman wanted to create something even easier. In 1884, he patented the kickoff commercial roll film. Eastman and the Kodak company went on to introduce a variety of different picture sizes and cameras to shoot them.

Kodak #1: The Starting time Kodak Camera

In 1888, Kodak introduced the Kodak #1. Advertised to the public with the slogan, "You press the button, we exercise the balance," sales of this camera were aimed at amateur photographers of the 24-hour interval. At a cost of $25, the camera was sold loaded with film to take 100 exposures. Once the pic was finished, the customer would post the camera back to the company. For a price of $10, the camera was reloaded, which needed to be done in a darkroom, and returned to the client along with the 2 ½-inch prints of the pictures it had taken. Although the price at the time was not cheap, the photographic camera became very pop considering people did not have to carp with the technical processes and chemicals involved in developing their pictures. These cameras almost never come up for sale on the antiques market, since few of them survive.

The Kodak Brownie Photographic camera

Introduced in 1900 the Credibility camera is perhaps the nearly well known of the Kodak cameras. With a sales price of merely one dollar, the first Credibility cameras made photography accessible to the masses. Over the years, the Brownie has been manufactured in both box and folding styles. Box cameras are only a box, similar to a pinhole photographic camera, but with a lens, while folding Brownies accept a clasp that allows the lens portion to fold out from the torso on a bellows. Both are easy to find in antique stores and online. Brownie cameras accept different film sizes, and some are still usable today. Early on models can be very valuable if they are in good condition.

Kodak Large Format Photographic camera: 2-D

Kodak didn't limit itself to scroll motion-picture show cameras. It also produced big format cameras that used sheet moving-picture show. One notable model was the Eastman Kodak two-D, which was fabricated of woods. These came in a variety of sizes, including 5x7, half dozen.5x8.5, 7x11, and 8x10. You can find these large format Kodak cameras in antique stores and online, and many are valuable.

Finding Vintage Kodak Camera Values

If yous have a vintage Kodak camera or are considering purchasing one, there are several things to consider. Have a few moments to look at the post-obit.

Model Number

At that place are hundreds of unlike vintage Kodak camera models, but it's like shooting fish in a barrel to place which model you accept. Well-nigh Kodak cameras accept the model number printed right on them. If you lot tin can't find identifying information written on the camera, this tool can help. All things existence equal, older models are more valuable.

Condition

No affair what model yous have, information technology will exist more valuable if it is in good status. This means cosmetic condition, such as leatherette that isn't peeling and metallic parts that aren't muddy or rusty. Withal, it also ways functional condition. Although some people similar decorating with antiques like cameras, the nigh valuable Kodak cameras still piece of work as cameras and not just display pieces. These are a few things to check:

In a folding photographic camera, expect at the condition of the bellows. They should not have holes or cracks.
Try opening the motion picture door. Does information technology open easily and close deeply?
Does the shutter work? Try firing a shot.
If it has a lens, is the lens in skilful shape? Attempt shining a light through the lens to see if information technology has a lot of scratches, cloudy areas, or other flaws.

Film Blazon

Originally, there were dozens of different film sizes, and Kodak made cameras to conform them all. Even so, today, there are simply a few sizes of film that are still made. The easiest to find are 35mm, 120, 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10. If a Kodak camera model uses movie that nonetheless exists today, information technology may be worth more. Camera Wiki has an extensive list of Kodak models and their associated film sizes. Here are a few you might encounter that utilise modern moving picture and would exist valuable to photographers and collectors:

Kodak 35 - 35mm film
Kodak #2 Hawkette Binder - 120 film
Kodak Credibility Inferior 120 - 120 film
Kodak Masterview Camera - 4x5 and 8x10 picture
Eastman Kodak View Camera 2-D - 5x7 and 8x10 film

Sold Prices of Vintage Kodak Cameras

One of the best ways to find out how much your vintage Kodak is worth is to cheque recently sold listings. Here are few vintage Kodaks and their sales prices:

An Eastman Kodak 2-D 8x10 in good condition sold for $468 in 2021.
A vintage Kodak Retina II 35mm camera with leather example sold for about $220.
A very clean and stylish Art Deco Kodak Beau Brownie in turquoise and in working condition sold for most $750.
An untested Kodak Credibility Eagle in questionable working condition sold for only well-nigh $5.

Beautiful Examples of the History of Photography

Whether you enjoy collecting cameras, learning well-nigh the history of photography, or simply savour looking at cameras from the past, vintage Kodak cameras are beautiful examples of the evolution of photographic technology. Many of these cameras are available at antique stores, thrift stores, and online. Knowing what to look for tin can aid you spot a photographic camera that will await gorgeous, role well, and be valuable.