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1888 Lancaster Victorian Era Antique Wood Plate Camera w/Working Rotary Shutter
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1888 Lancaster Victorian Era Antique Wood Plate Camera w/Working Rotary Shutter
Price: US $810.01
Make sure to check out all of my sales after you\'ve looked at this one. I\'m listing another eclectic selection of antiques and collectibles, and I suspect that there will be something of interest to just about everybody.
Here\'s an exquisite 125-year-old J. Lancaster \"1888 Patent Instantograph\" half plate camera with a solid wood body, supple red leather bellows, a J. Lancaster lens, a J. Lancaster double-slide plate holder, and an early, ingenious J. Lancaster rotary shutter, known also as a \"rubber band\" shutter because it used a rubber band to create the necessary tension that allowed you to cock and fire the shutter mechanism. Despite its age, the shutter is still working, and when the camera ships I will send along a rubber band mounted on the brass posts, with the shutter cocked and ready to fire.
Condition of the camera is excellent throughout. The polished mahogany body is beautiful, and the wood\'s finish is original. Original brass fittings and hardware are clean, with a beautiful patina and only moderate tarnish consistent with age and authenticity. Ground glass is in excellent condition, with no damage, and the lens is clear. With sufficient lighting the lens will throw a clear, crisp image against the glass back. The plate holder slides easily into place and stays put when you release it, pressed snugly to the back of the camera. As noted above, the shutter still works. The leather bellows are original and they appear to be light tight.
The camera has rack and pinion focusing, and the front standard still moves easily along the rack and retreats all the way into the body, with no bellows misfolds, when the camera is stowed away. The shutter can still be easily removed from the end of the lens barrel, and the camera folds up nicely, as you can see in the pictures.
On the underside of the camera bed, there\'s a shrinkage crack running parallel to the wood\'s grain and visible when the camera is folded up and stowed away, with the underside of the bed facing forward. The crack is an artifact of aging, and for some reason cracks like it are endemic on Lancaster camera beds. The crack doesn\'t detract from the structural integrity of the bed, which is still quite rigid.
Overall, a high end Victorian camera that looks great on a shelf or mounted to a tripod.
Shipping weight will be about 14 lb.That\'s about it. I will pack it carefully and properly. sale participants with no prior response history or with hidden response should contact me before placing a offer. Buyer prepays and includes shipping.

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