very old camera equiptment

ntsmith69 · Feb 5, 2015

hello,, my name is neal and i am new to this forum...i recently bought a buisnes back in sept. i was in the basement finally able to go through some junk that was there well i thought it was junk..when going throught it i found a whole basement full of old cameras and enlargers. some hand held slide out camers and very large one like u see in old western movies..i have 3 or 4 omega enlargers. lighning.back drops and i think they are slides is thats what they are called for the really old cameras,,there is like a million of them,,nextdoor to my store was a local photograher who has his store there..his family had their store for almost 90 years till he closed it down in 1990..i think when he closed the store everything in there went into the basement of my store which i now own..prob 100 different typeys of light.backdrops..lenses, and some wierd duel lense with 120 to 180 and 220mm on them..even boxes of paper that was in a 1880 photography book,looks like the paper they used to pint pic on back then...i wouldnt lie but there is like 500 different types on hand held cameras and very very old 8mm movie cameras where u have to wind up....would any of this stuff be worth anything or...all the enlargers look brand new and wrapped in plastic,,a small wooden accordian type in good shape as well..and also a stamped in a metal plaque it say amauture photograh.looks like bigger one but alot smaller..and almost all in leather cases..there is a million different types of thick magnifign lenses. and zoom lenses whisch i have no idea what they would fit on.. and found boxes and boxes of realy old negatives some look like 1885 to 1918..is there a demand for old camera parts and lenses.looks like 3 or 4 full dark room equiptment

snapguy · Feb 5, 2015

A lot of old camera stuff is not worth the time it takes to throw it away and some stuff can be very valuable. You need to get someone who knows what this stuff is and appraise it. Is anybody around from that old camera store who could give you some kind of a clue what various things are, for a start? Then you need to do your homework and find an expert who can really nail down what is of value and what is not. The "weird" dual lenses are probably for medium format twin lens reflex cameras. Some might be worth a lot of money. One "old camera part" might be worth $1 and another might be worth $1,000 or more. Sorting it all out will be a big job. But tons of fun for a GASaholic.

ntsmith69 · Feb 5, 2015

ok thanks..do you know what the omega d2 are worth i have 4 of them and all look like new and covered up;;plus a couple of others bit was unable to get to them today to see what type they were

ambaker · Feb 5, 2015

Depends on exactly what it is, and condition. Age alone is not the determining factor of worth.

You could be sitting on some money, or some junk. More info is needed to determine which.

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mike c · Feb 5, 2015

You can try ebay sold sales on a lot of stuff, the D2 are nice older Omega 4x5 enlargers, wait a few weeks and you could try to sell or give a way here on Apugs Classifieds.

bdial · Feb 5, 2015

The enlargers are valuable to someone looking for one, and pretty much value-less to anyone else. It's unfortunate situation, but that's the reality nowadays.
As others have said, much depends on the specifics of what you have.
Ebay sold auctions are a good guide as to value, along with KEH.com which is a large used-equipment retailer.
KEH is based in the U.S. though, so if you are somewhere else, values will vary. Also note that KEH's prices are retail, and the value for selling to a retailer will be about 1/2 the prices you see.

Someone knowledgeable needs to take a look. Are there any photographic retailers in your area? If they aren't interested in evaluating it, they may be able to refer you to someone.

ntsmith69 · Feb 5, 2015

ok thanks i will try to go throu some more of it tomorrow and maybe get some pics of some of the stuff i have its 1100 sf basement and its full lol

Sirius Glass · Feb 5, 2015

Welcome to APUG

Nick Merritt · Feb 6, 2015

If you post a bunch of pictures here, it might at least provide us with an idea of what's there, and help us give you some further guidance. (There may even be some things that we want!)

Old-N-Feeble · Feb 6, 2015

Don't sell anything to anyone until you've researched thoroughly. You can start with eBay sold listings with "worldwide" selected.

trythis · Feb 6, 2015

Even items that are valuable could be ruined from fungus, especially while in a basement. What part of the country are you in? If you are in Louisiana, scratch that, they dont have basements....anyway you get the idea.

removed account4 · Feb 6, 2015

if you want to see how much your thousands of thins are worth
find their names on the bodies or lenses &c and go to eBay
and search "completed auctions" that will give you an idea
what the stuff is worth.
if you can't id-stuff take a photograph of it
and maybe someone here can help you ID it so you can go to eBay
and figure out its worth. if something has been in a basement ( warm, muggy &c )
its probably all covered with mold and fungus so there is a chance your treasure trove
is less of a treasure and more of a trove.

good luck!

Rick A · Feb 6, 2015

I've seen far too many D-2 enlargers listed on CL that are being given away.

ntsmith69 · Feb 6, 2015

my camera died but found 6 kodiak medalist2.and a suitcase filming camera says 1915..and 5 keystone model b1 looks like early 1900s

gone · Feb 6, 2015

There really is little to no demand for that junk. No one shoots those old cameras anymore. Most people have gone digital, of course.You might consider hiring a truck to deliver everything to my place so I can properly dispose of the stuff, and then you'll have a nice, clean space. I'll even pay the fees to get the junk to me, if they're reasonable (I was thinking maybe $100?). I usually pay by check. So, this is your lucky day!