Expert: David Silver - 9/28/2011

Question
i inherited about 40 cameras some are Leica cameras how can i tell what i have and how much they are worth

Answer
Hello Arthur,

You're in a very difficult situation, similar to what many other people are going through these days.  There was a very specific generation of men in the USA who were attracted to the idea of collecting antique and classic cameras (in fact, they were the generation of men who after World War II became the most numerous and fanatical collectors of all sorts of things), and I'm afraid that that generation has reached an age where they are now passing away.  Since few of them ever considered or made plans for what their families should do with their collections when they were gone, many wives and children are now being burdened with the task of liquidating large accumulations of things about which they know absolutely nothing.  The saddest part is that in some cases these families take the easiest route and hand the collections over to "dealers" who pay only pennies on the dollar, or they leave the responsibility to "estate sellers" who are more interested in quick turnover rather than precise high yield marketing.  In either case, the family rarely realizes how much they are losing.  I'm not saying that every single item or every collection is necessarily valuable, but the pieces and collections that ARE valuable are rarely properly handled to the greatest benefit of the family.  You need to seek the help of a knowledgeable expert, a specialist in the history of photography and cameras, and there's where I step in.  Funny, although I'm located in San Francisco, I'm currently helping a family in New York and another in Georgia liquidate camera collections (in the past three years I've actually handled over 20 significant collections from the east coast), so reaching out to you in New Jersey is not a problem.  I really can't help you through this AllExperts interface, it's obviously a limited venue, but you were wise to come here and initiate first contact.  The process is actually quite simple, and for a collection that's as small as "about 40 cameras" it won't take that long.  One of the collections I'm handling right now is over 500 cameras (not to mention hundreds of additional lenses and accessories), and my reception room has dozens of boxes of vintage gear stacked up that the family sent me and I haven't been able to even open yet!  Now THAT is a big collection!  Okay, do this.  My direct e-mail address is provided below.  Type up a simple list of the names of the cameras (see if you can find the maker's name first, then the model name, and it often helps to know the information on the lens), put this in a simple e-mail message, and send it to me.  Also send a few small pictures of the cameras (I don't need extreme close-ups or details, I just need to see the general overall appearance, and you can actually stand up several together to snap at once so you don't have to take that many).  After I see the list and compare that to whatever I see in the pictures, I'll get back to you with a working evaluation and some ideas of how to best handle a liquidation of the collection.  It may mean my having the collection sent here so I can broker sales personally, or some (or all) of the gear may be appropriate to enter in one of our upcoming auctions, or I may be able to recommend good honest "local" collectors who could visit you to make purchases, or perhaps I can provide contact information for collectors and historians in other parts of the country (or the world) who I trust will work fairly with you.  Many possibilities, but it all starts with a simple working list and some pictures.  That's all for now.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

David F. Silver - President
International Photographic Historical Organization

silver@photographyhistory.com