1886/1900
Espía · Alemania
Cámara Espía Stirn (XIX)
Cámara espía Stirn del siglo XIX, camuflada en chaqueta, en la colección de Pol
Private collection · Catalogued · Barcelona
Buying a collectible
Buying a collectible
camera.
Old does not mean rare, and that is the most expensive confusion in collecting. What actually makes a piece valuable, plus the pre-1960s cameras catalogued here.
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Collectible
pieces.
The oldest pieces in the collection, predating the 1960s, ordered by decade.
The individual pages for each camera are written in Spanish.
1888/1895
Panorámica · Francia
Photosphere (1888)
Photosphere (1888), la cámara esférica más antigua de la colección de Pol
1905/1914
Espía · Reino Unido
Ticka (1905)
Ticka (1905), la cámara disfrazada de reloj de bolsillo en la colección de Pol
~1928/1952
Visor directo · Francia
Gallus
Gallus, cámara francesa fabricada en París entre los años 20 y los 50
1934/1955
Telemétrica · URSS
Copia Leica FED 1
Copia Leica FED 1, primera copia soviética de la Leica, en la colección de Pol
1934/1955
Telemétrica · URSS
FED 1
FED 1, primera copia soviética de la Leica en la colección de Pol
1936/1941
SLR · URSS
GOMZ Sport (1937)
GOMZ Sport (1937), la primera cámara réflex del mundo, en la colección de Pol
~1935
Cajón (box) · Alemania
Junka (Junka-Werk)
Junka, cámara alemana de baquelita Art Déco de entreguerras, Junka-Werk Núremberg 1937
1936/1941
Plegable · EE. UU.
Kodak Bantam Special (1936)
Kodak Bantam Special (1936), diseño Art Déco, en la colección de Pol
1938/1942
Visor directo · EE. UU.
Mercury I, UniveX Mercury Model CC (1938)
Mercury I, UniveX Mercury Model CC (1938)
~1930
Compacta · Alemania
Ragis
Ragis, La Leica de Barcelona, cámara telemétrica española fabricada por Regis c. 1947
~1948/1958
Visor directo · España
Capta Urana
Capta Urana, cámara de baquelita fabricada por Industrias Matutano S.L. en Valencia, años 40-50
1948/1950
Telemétrica · Alemania
Steinheil Casca II (1949)
Steinheil Casca II, telemétrica alemana de 1949 en la colección de Pol
1949
Telemétrica · URSS
FED TSVVS (1949), Cámara telemétrica soviética militar
Frontal
1945/1947
Telemétrica · EE. UU.
Kardom
Kardom, cámara española de baquelita en la colección de Pol
1941/1948
Telemétrica
Kodak Medalist I (1941)
Kodak Medalist I (1941), cámara de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en la colección de Pol
1948/1953
Telemétrica · EE. UU.
Kodak Medalist II (1946)
Kodak Medalist II (1946), en la colección de Pol
1945/1955
Visor directo · EE. UU.
Mercury II (1945)
Mercury II (1945), cámara semiformato americana en la colección de Pol
1948
Plegable · Francia
Roche Rox (1948)
Roche Rox (1948), cámara francesa de aluminio pulido fabricada en Villeurbanne, en la colección de Pol
Frequently asked questions
about collectible cameras.
Is an old camera worth money just for being old?
No, and it is the most expensive mistake in collecting. Age only tells you when it was built; rarity tells you how many survive and how many people want one. There are 1930s cameras made in the hundreds of thousands and 1980s cameras of which two hundred were built.
What makes a camera valuable?
The relationship between how few were made and how many people want one. It comes down to production run, survival rate (how many are still intact), historical importance, condition, completeness (original lens, cap and case) and how well documented the piece is.
Should you buy to invest or to enjoy?
To enjoy. The camera market is small, illiquid and very sensitive to fashion: a piece can take years to find a buyer at the price you think it is worth. If you also enjoy owning and understanding it, the investment has already paid off.
Does it need to work to have value?
For most pieces, yes: a camera that fires is worth considerably more than the same one broken. The exception is very scarce historical pieces, where what you pay for is rarity and cosmetic condition, not the ability to take photographs.
How do I know the stated condition is real?
Insist on photographs of the actual unit and a description that says explicitly what has been tested and what fails. Here every piece is catalogued on the same A+/A/B/C scale and faults are always declared: a rare piece with a declared fault is still a rare piece.
Looking for a
specific piece?
The collection runs to around 400 cameras and not all of them are documented on the site. If you are after something specific, just ask.
For sale now
Every so often
Every so often
a piece leaves the collection.
The collection is not for sale, but some pieces are. They are published with their history, their graded condition and photographs taken with that very camera.
Free shipping within Spain · 14 days to return it