I want to sell or auction off my Grandfathers cameras. I'm wondering if I would get a better price through eBay or Sotheby's (the have antique camera auctions but I haven't checked to see if they're interested in my cameras. for those interested in such things it's:
2 or 3 35mm handcranked movie cameras (box type, the film reels are internal), 35mm handheld spring drive movie camera, a cirkuit camera, maybe a speed graphic and a graphlex. all were working when last used. Any ideas on how or where to sell them? Thanks Karl
There were literally dozens of differnt makers of 35mm movie cameras. Some worth very little, and some of the rarer ones worth a tidy sum to a collector. The two Graphics are worth at most, about $300 depending on condition, features, type of lens and if they are rare models.
I have a number of Graphics..shrug
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If I were you, Id contact some of the web sites of the various movie camera collectors (Google) and find out what the aprox values are, before approaching Sothebys or any other auction house. You may net very little by going that route, partitularly with the more common stuff like the Graphics, etc.
A collector may give you more money without the commision fees than you might gain via auction.
Just because they are old, doesnt necessarily mean they are worth much. YMMV of course.
Gunner
That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell
Unless the 35mm movie cameras are either rare or in very good condition, I suspect you'll get very little for them, and are probably better to take what you can on ebay. The Speed Graphic, likewise. The Graphlex ... depends what it is, but most are not particularly valuable.
By 'Cirkuit' do you mean 'Cirkut'? These are early panoramic cameras made by Kodak; if it is, there would be a front part looking much like an old wood and brass camera, and behind that a large box full of gears and stuff, and the whole arrangement should sit on a tripod with a circular geared track. Depending on size, completeness and condition, you can expect to get a reasonable price for that. Assuming one of the more common sizes, say an 8 or a
10 (corresponds to the width of the film in inches), in fairly complete condition and not too much work to do to get it running, about $3000. You will probably do as well on eBay as Sotheby's, as you'll pay far less commission, and will likely reach most of the relatively small community who are really interested in these.
Alternatively, I'll take it off your hands, and will only charge you a small fee, plus shipping costs.
Ebay has a reserve feature so you can set the final price on the item. That way if the bid doesn't meet your expectation you don't have to sell. Worth looking at.
Not familiar with the cine cameras, the Cirkuit normally brings a good price from collectors. Speed Graphic less desirable than a Crown, Graphlex depends on size, the smaller ones generally bring better prices, especially if they have the 120 roll film back. Lens and shutter configuration also figure in, might double or halve the price. Condition is everything. Graphic and Graphlex, probably ebay items, Cirkuit, definately something to advertise in a collectors mag. Shutter curtains in the Graphic and Graphlex are probably pinholed, expensive to replace, brings the price down. Maker and model on cine cameras are everything, I have several old (Keystone, Univex) cine cameras, not worth shipping cost. Lenses included and maker of them are also important to the price. Stuck shutters on any of them, knock off $100, that's what it will cost to clean and lube them. Compur or SynchroCompur shutters most desireable, then Wollensak for the graphics, Prontor depends on model and lens. Zeiss Tessar better than Kodak Tessar, many other lenses considered far better, some can bring more than the camera it's in. Wollensak lenses mostly anastigmat, not apochromat, nor is the Tessar. Kodak anastigmat, slow but can be as sharp as any if mounted properly. Many variables. Find a dealer or collector and have him look at them. Might cost a buck or two for appraisal, but might be worth it.
This almost certainly has to do with Australian law. Ebay rules vary considerably from country to country, primarily to take into account different laws covering trading, auctions, etc. For instance, it's not possible to set a reserve on German eBay, simply because auctions with reserves are illegal in Germany. As laws and the interpretations of laws change in every country, and as the process of matching ebay policies to local laws is inevitably gradual, you have to allow for changes, and that's quite apart from ebay's ongoing development of its own business strategy.
eBay is full of frustrations, dodgy sellers, etc. etc. but the amazing thing is actually that it works at all.
My wife is encountering area by area, creeping changes which result in:
1) With Javascript enabled -- it keeps reloading the search page, without ever getting far enough to display what it found.
2) With Javascript *dis*abled -- you can't get it to accept a click to start a search.
This is with Mozilla on a Sun unix box. I don't know whether it is browser-specific or platform specific -- or whether this even happens with IE on Windows. :-)
So far, it hasn't hit my searches yet -- I think. (I haven't run them recently enough.)
Regarding broken html or javascript in ebay web pages, I saw problem (1) starting a week or so ago, and found that it prevents my browser (Netscape® Communicator 4.8 on Linux) from loading any pages after an initial ebay search. I turned off javascript (which IIRC was on so ebay pages would work) and in the week since then have loaded quite a few ebay pages and run ebay searches with no problems, except possibly one page where click-pictures didn't work. Haven't seen problem (2).
And I just tried a known broken search on Mozilla on an OpenBSD
3.4 system (on Sun hardware), and *that* worked. So -- I guess that it is time to upgrade the Mozilla on the other Suns -- or perhaps get Firefox (the descendant of Mozilla-Firebird), since I don't need (or want) any e-mail capabilities in my browser, anyway.
But does anybody know of an address in eBay to which such problems can be reported?
No, I believe it's an attempt to increase ebays profits. Ebay has a long history of screwing up their site in ways that they believe will increase profits. As an example, it's now practically impossible to browse in books, and many other categories unless you know exactly what you'r lookign for.
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