AboutDavid Silver Expertise I'm an expert on all types of antique, classic, and contemporary cameras, as well as the general history of photography. Everything from ancient box cameras to modern single-lens-reflex; from simple Kodaks to sophisticated Leica and Nikon; from glass plates and roll film to movie and 35mm. I can identify and appraise them, explain how they work, and offer insights on their restoration and care. I can also provide historical background on vintage cameras and equipment, and guidelines on their purchase and sale.
Experience I've been a professional photographer and a student of the history of photography for nearly 30 years. During that time my collection of vintage cameras and photographic paraphernalia has grown beyond 2000 significant pieces. I've published nearly 70 articles in the field, including 16 in the popular "Buying Classic Cameras" series for PHOTO SHOPPER MAGAZINE from 1995 to 1997, I'm currently a contributing editor for CAMERA SHOPPER MAGAZINE and McKEOWN'S PRICE GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAMERAS, and I've written numerous entries for WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA. Portions of my collection have been displayed in museums and special exhibits in the past two decades, and many of the items were photographed as illustrations for books. In 1985 I founded the International Photographic Historical Organization (InPHO), which eventually evolved into its intended purpose as the best first resource for information on the history of photography. I'm also a founding member of several e-mail forums dedicated to specialized areas of photography, and I'm the moderator of the Internet Directory of Camera Collectors (IDCC), which remains the largest and most successful such group in the world. For more information about the International Photographic Historical Organization and its many services, please visit its web pages at:
Expert: David Silver Date: 2/23/2006 Subject: Vintage Voigtlander Lens
Question Hi Mr. Silver. I'm looking for advice on how to deal with an antique lens I've been storing for years. It came from my Grandfather's studio but since I have no living relatives from that side of the family, I'm stuck on my own for figuring out history.
The lens is a large format Voigtlander with the serial number 18354. Through my internet research, I've come to believe it was manufactured in 1873. It is mounted to a 9 inch square, wooden backing. Here is a link to a photo hosting site where I've uploaded some photos of the lens...
I only lightly cleaned enough of the barrel of the lens to make out what some of the words were and the serial number. It is heavily tarnished but I did not want to do a heavy cleaning and take the chance of damaging any antique value the lens might hold. The knob turns but the lens is so heavy that it needs some manual help to slide in and out or else you can feel the workings of the knob starting to slip.
I am interested in selling this piece. I saw a similar, unmounted Voigtlander lens sell on eBay for $300 recently. It, however, was cleaned up. Would you suggest cleaning this or leaving that to the purchaser if it sells? Would you expect that the metal used for this lens is brass or another metal?
I would really appreciate any suggestions you might have to maximize the value of this lens and an idea of what you would consider a reasonable auction price to accept.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Michael Fallert
Answer Hi Michael,
The date is about right. You have a traditional big portrait lens that would have been mounted on a wet plate studio camera in the 1870's. For an eBay auction, your title should simply be:
Huge brass 1870's Voigtlander portrait lens!!
That's enough to get attention. Yes, it's brass. Rare? Nope. It's one of the more common lenses from that period. But it should indeed sell for around $300. The good news is that your lens is totally complete, the glass looks clean and clear, it has the proper mounting flange (the metal ring on the back into which the lens screws), and the lens board (goodness knows what monster camera it originally adorned, but that's a HEAVY piece of wood). The bad news is that the brass has a lot of patina. A-hem, we NEVER say tarnish. Ugly word. It's patina. The collectors of these sorts of things understand that brass "patinates" with age, it's expected, and we all want nicely golden-with-age patina rather than the brown nasty looking stuff on your example. However, it can NOT be cleaned without reducing the lens to looking...new. Arrgghhhhhhh! No collector will touch a vintage lens that has "new" looking brass! Far far better to keep that brass just the way it is! The value will come from its obvious originality and completeness, NOT from its cleanliness. If you want one little odd bit of advice, take the lens outside on a sunny day, lay it down on the sidewalk, and take another set of pictures under natural light. The pictures you took indoors with the flash only accentuate the harsh patina, while the warming effect of sunlight will reduce it. When it comes to shooting brass, flash bad, sunlight goooooood. So, once again, your title should be:
Huge brass 1870's Voigtlander portrait lens!!
And your description should be something like:
Here's a magnificent huge brass portrait lens made by Voigtlander of Germany (serial #18354) in the 1870's for a massive wet plate field or studio camera. The brass has heavy patina, and the rack and pinion are stiff with age, but it's absolutely complete and original, the optics are clean and clear, it has its proper big mounting flange, and it comes on a solid 9 x 9 inch lens board. A rare opportunity for some savvy collector to acquire an outstanding photographic artifact of the wet plate period!
There you go, that should do it. The pictures you provide will say the rest. List it in category #4702, start it at 99 cents (seriously, so it will get a lot of bids), and set a reserve at perhaps $199 just to be safe.
