Expert: David Silver - 11/7/2007

Question
I have 2 cameras that I have no clue as to their worth. I'm very interested in anything you can tell me about them.I was going to put them on Ebay but I've never done that before. One is called The Expo Watch Camera. It's in a small square box with a view finder and paper instructions. The other is a 35 mm camera made in Germany. It is an Agfa and on the lens it says Compur-Rapid on the outer ring and silette on the ring just inside the outer one and on the inside there's a marking just below the the film takeup spool that says DE 5769.Thanks for any help you can give me.     Tom

Answer


Hello Tom,

The Expo Watch Camera was a popular novelty camera, designed into the shape and size of a typical railroad pocket watch, introduced in 1905, and remained in production for a whopping 30 years.  Zillions of them sold during that time, and I'm afraid they remain quite common today.  However, as with most antiques and collectibles, it's all about the condition.  The vast majority floating around tend to be well worn, missing the cap, missing the box, etc., and these sell for very little.  An example in excellent shape, complete with the tiny chained cap, the viewfinder, the instructions, and all in the original box, could sell instead for possibly $200.  Since the market is generally saturated with the beasties, eBay is not the best idea.  Send a JPEG image of the camera with its box and whatever else to me at <silver@well.com>, so I can assess its true overall condition, and then I'll offer some recommendations for a few appropriate collectors and historians you can contact directly for an honest stress-free transaction.  Although common, the Expo has a certain historical significance, and such a nice example should go to somebody who knows how to preserve it.

I'm afraid the other camera isn't much of a treasure.  Silette is a series of relatively inexpensive 35mm cameras made by Agfa of Germany throughout the 1950's.  They are generally uninspired designs that have nil collectible value today.  Excellent examples rarely sell for more than $30.  It all depends on your comfort level, but I think that's a bit too low to waste any time and effort on eBay.  You might want to dangle it on Craiglist instead, where it won't cost you anything to list it, and you can keep it listed for weeks if necessary.  Of course, you'll be waiting for a "local" buyer to respond, but there are Agfa enthusiasts everywhere.

Best wishes,

David Silver