Kodak Brownie information

[digiconvert]

Not sure if this is the best forum but they are 620 roll cameras.
I have been asked to try and sell a couple of cameras for my local church and was wondering if anyone has any idea of value for one particular piece.
It'a a Brownie Flash IV, UK manufacture, in acream leatherette with brass fittings- in a matcing case. It looks like a deluxe model with yellow filter slide for cloud shots and is in very good condition. I also have a mint in box Brownie Flasholder 4 to go with it.
I know this site is the font of all knowledge and you are all really nice people so any help as to whether to just put it on an auction site or try a UK dealer would be most welcome .
Please move to Lounge if considered a better place for this post .

Thanks for all of your help; Chris Benton

 

[David H. Bebbington]

My mother had one of these cameras, it was indeed an upmarket model with the flash contacts and sliding filter. Sadly, these cameras are not sought after, I would imagine its value would be no more than £5, possibly a pound or two more if totally mint.

Regards,

David

 

[battra92]

Well, they are both box cameras, right? Most anything with a box around it isn't worth much. Still, if you are fine with respooling 120 to 620, they might be fun to play with.

 

[David H. Bebbington]

Most anything with a box around it isn't worth much.

This is generally true, but someone apparently had a rush of blood to the head and paid no less than £51.50 for this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-CASED...3QQihZ008QQcategoryZ11716QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Other examples went for much less at around the same time or even remained unsold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dan Fromm]

Not to contradict you David, but there were two madmen bidding against each other. I wonder if the winner now rues the day.

Remember that in auctions the second-highest bidder sets the price.

 

[DBP]

There are always abberations, but as a general rule, box type Brownies sell for less than shipping cost.

 

[Donald Qualls]

Though they usually sell for about the same as shipping, if not a little less, I'd venture to say a Brownie Hawkeye Flash will make images that easily outstrip what you can get from most of the "toy camera" genre, and it's a lot more compact than most non-folding 6x6 -- in fact, it's close to being as small as a normal-lens 6x6 can get without folding. As a bonus, this model will usually accept trimmed 120 supply spools (mine doesn't even need them trimmed, but not all are this loose), and a brave soul could probably trim a little bakelite from the case, modify the winding key, and make it accept a 120 takeup spool as well. Hmmm...

Matter of fact, these cameras may have their price held down by the fact their images are *too* good (though surely being made for 620 contributes here); the Lomographic crowd don't want 'em unless they're mechanical enough to open them up and reverse the lens to get all kind of aberrations. For me, it's a nice, light, compact snapshooter. No focusing, no messing with exposure, just use the waist level finder to frame, and gently squeeze the release, good shot every time as long as there's enough light (and I've got a couple different flashes that fit mine, too, with bulbs).

 

[digiconvert]

This is generally true, but someone apparently had a rush of blood to the head and paid no less than £51.50 for this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-CASED...3QQihZ008QQcategoryZ11716QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Other examples went for much less at around the same time or even remained unsold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh for that kind of bidding on my auction, it also makes me feel a bit better about the times I've put in 'one last bid' for something I need, which then gets used twice (Hence the signature)