Should I Buy All This Stuff?!?!

[dxqcanada]

YES. Do it. And if something's broken, I'm willing to make you a fair offer for it as it is.

Ah, what took you so long ?
I was wondering why you did not jump on this thread yet.

 

[Derrel]

I bet the seller think's he/she is sitting on a gold mine.

"ooo look it's old so it must be worth a fortune."

Lol....but yet, soooooo common!!!!

 

[sm4him]

YES. Do it. And if something's broken, I'm willing to make you a fair offer for it as it is.

I don't think I'm out yet. I'm going to wait til morning and see if I hear from him. If not, I'm going to make contact and see what his answer is, and if he rejects my offer, I'm going to ask to see the stuff again. This time, I'll really INSPECT the TLR and press camera, plus a couple of other things, and if they are in any better condition than the rest of the stuff, I'll make another offer.

I'm sitting here wondering if I *should* have offered more. And hoping he doesn't get a better offer before tomorrow, so I can get another shot at it.

 

[dxqcanada]

The TLR actually looked like it might be in reasonably decent shape.

What manufacturer ?

 

[sm4him]

The TLR actually looked like it might be in reasonably decent shape.

What manufacturer ?

Minolta, I think, but I didn't note more than that about it. Dang, I should have looked closer at those two things and taken pictures. Hindsight...

 

[Designer]

I'm sitting here wondering if I *should* have offered more. And hoping he doesn't get a better offer before tomorrow, so I can get another shot at it.

Hold fast to your original offer.

 

[dxqcanada]

The TLR actually looked like it might be in reasonably decent shape.

What manufacturer ?

Minolta, I think, but I didn't note more than that about it. Dang, I should have looked closer at those two things and taken pictures. Hindsight...

Based on the image of the camera in the case ... I am going to guess it is a Minolta Autocord CDS
Minolta Autocord Cds

If that is it ... with focus knob intact and working meter (it needs a battery) and case ... going price on ebay is about $250-450.00
Even with non-working meter it would still be worth over $100
Broken focus knob (underneath taking lens) makes is work less but still worth something.

 

[sm4him]

UPDATE: I bought it. ALL of it.
Ended up giving him $100 for it, figuring that even if the press camera and TLR were the only decent items and even if they didn't work, they'd be worth $50 a piece for me to add to the collective of decorative stuff. So everything else was just gravy.
PLUS, I got several dollars worth of entertainment (so far) just digging through the stuff. I'm also gonna have a KILLER headache tomorrow from all the dust.

He says he MAY come across more stuff too, and will contact me if he does.

I've just done a preliminary sort so far. LOTS of lenses, nearly all of them junk, but maybe 6-10 possible keepers to at least play around with. LOTS of filters, and the funny thing is that while the lenses were mostly off-brands, the filters are mostly Hoya and Tiffen. Most of the filters are either 52 or 55mm. I have yet to inspect any of them but some are still in their cases, so that's good.

I'll list some of the other "semi-decent" stuff later. For now, I'll just mention the two crown jewels--the press camera and the TLR.

The press camera IS indeed a Graflex--Graflex 23Graphic with a 120 roll holder on the back. I really haven't inspected it closely yet, but it appears to be in fairly decent condition. There was also a separate bag that had a handheld flash that I *think* goes with this camera.

The TLR is a Minolta Autocord Citizen-MVL. Again, no close inspection yet, but appears to be in quite good condition!

Pictures and more details tomorrow!! Tonight, I'm too tired and the dust is ALREADY giving me a headache. Time for migraine meds and some sleep...

 

[Derrel]

Ahhhh, I figured a C-note would snag it! Good for you!!! Hey, the baby Graphic with a 120 rollfilm holder--SWEET!!!! Minolta Autocord...kewl beans! There might be some surprises too. Most of the 70-200 and 70-205, 70-210 f/3.5 or f/3.8 or f/4 zooms of that era were actually "decent". I'm glad this batch of stuff was snagged by YOU!!!!!

 

[sm4him]

Filters and related items I found interesting:



18 Hoya filters, mostly 49mm, 52mm and 55mm, a couple of bigger ones.
5 Tiffen filters, same smaller sizes.
One B&W filter, 52mm.
The other filters are either third-party or at least brands I don't recognize. Over 40 filters in all.

Six step-up rings, only one brand name (Tiffen) but I'd think that wouldn't be a big deal with a step-up ring.
A Minolta P-adapter
Tamron Adaptall custom mount for Pentax K-mount--which is kinda cool, because I have an old Pentax K-1000.

Anyone know what kind of camera an Ednalite filter would have been used on? There's no diameter listed on it, but they are small, smaller than the 49mm filters I've got. I have two Ednalite filters and a little "case" type filter that they go in. Evidently, you put the actual filter in this "case"/adapter, then screw THAT onto the camera, and the actual diameter of the mounting area is really small. You can see it in the bottom left corner of the photo.

Also, does anyone know what the thing is on the left side of the photo that just says "T-CA"? I'm guessing it's an adapter of some sort, but no idea for what.

Haven't even tried to start cleaning anything up yet, so of course some of this stuff might not be useable.

What about these two items? Anyone know what they are?
1. Brand name Bicky. Comes in a little case which has an even smaller little compartment in it with the extra lens you can see in the pic.


2. No brand name on it that I saw. Also comes in a little case.

 

[Derrel]

"Monocular"....as in one-half of a binocular!!! Ohhh, I used to have an old monocular, a 7x35, made back in the 1960's...it was fun to use.

I have a few small Ednalite filters in cases and original paper boxes. Ednalite was a popular filter brand back in the day. YES, those were called "Series" filters, and they fit into a holder, with a front, screw-in retaining ring. The "series adapter" was made in multiple sizes, like V, VI, VII, corresponding to diameters. MANY 35mm cameras of the 1940's and 1950's had relatively small-diameter lenses, which meant that a 39mm diameter (something like that, not sure really, but by today's standards, the series mount filters were "tiny") filter would cover the front lens with PLENTY of room to spare. So....filter makers made thread-free filters which were used in "Series" filter holders.

This will show how the Series filters and their holders were used: http://www.google.com/search?q=Seri...FOSMyAHN3oC4Bg&ved=0CIEBELAE&biw=1392&bih=865

Good score on the bin full o' camera stuff!

 

[sm4him]

The two main attraction items:

I apologize for the photos; I just took them really quickly this morning, no setup or real thought given to them.

I haven't even begun to try to clean these up or test them for working parts.

Minolta TLR:
1. Front view


2. Left side view:


3. Right side view:



Press camera:

1. Back view


2. Front view, opened but not fully extended.

I had a TIME even figuring out HOW to open this thing! And I didn't want to fully extend it out until I've had a chance to clean it up some and make sure I'm not going to rip the bellows to pieces when it opens. Just judging from the little bit I *did* extend it, this thing has not been opened in a long time.

And finally--I *think* this goes with the press camera? It's got its own case.

 

[Designer]

The Speed Graphic is the one I had. I also had the 120 roll-film back. If you find any 4x5 film holders, whoo-hoo!

Yes, the flash looks like the type a pressman would use. Mine was lightly different. My SG came in a rigid box that held all the paraphernalia.

 

[sm4him]

Other at least marginally interesting stuff. Some maybe worth a few bucks, some just interesting, to me at least:

Praktica nova camera with Carl Zeiss 50mm f/2.8 lens
Minolta XG-1--two camera bodies, one with 50mm f/1.7 lens, one with 50mm f/1.4 lens
Canon demi EE17 camera
Canon T70 with 50mm f/1.4 lens
Bell & Howell Two-Twenty 8mm
Nikon FG-20 camera body only
Canon Speedlite 199A
Polaroid 800--good night, what a massive, and heavy Polaroid camera!!
Kodak…umm, I forget and didn't write this one down. Vigilant 6-20, I think?? Unfortunately, the lens has been removed from it.

Even if NONE of the many extra lenses prove to be usable, I'm pleased with the haul. It's been great entertainment if nothing else. Now to start cleaning some things up--what should use on a camera body? Does it matter?

 

[Derrel]

Here's a an on-line manual: Century Graphic 23 camera manual, user manual, operating instructions

Fun times ahead, fun times! A good paintbrush is handy for getting off that type of years-old dust accumulation from cameras. Something like a #10 brush for acrylics is what I use a lot. The brush loosens and then sweeps away all that dust. After brushing off dust, I usually use soft, clean cotton T-shirt remnants and alcohol to get rid of gunk and dirt. Perhaps there are better solutions...I don't know. Compur or one of our resident camera collectors would doubtless have an opinion on the BEST way to clean up old cameras.