Dear Helaine and Joe: I have enclosed a copy of the front page of the instruction book that came with a Pocket Kodak camera found in my mother-in-law's basement. I know it must be old because she is 93, and I believe the camera belonged to her parents. I would like to know when this camera was made and how much it is worth. —F.B., Beecher, Ill.
Dear F.B.: Today it seems that everyone has at least one camera. And personal photography (i.e. photography done by a non-professional) is as easy as saying "cheese."
Modern cameras are even disposable and devices that take electronic pictures are beginning to replace the equipment that uses old-fashioned film.
In the last quarter of the 19th century, however, personal photography was prohibitively expensive and only the well-to-do could afford to snap pictures of their vacations, their families and their friends.
The first Kodak camera, which was introduced in 1888, came loaded with film from the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Co. in Rochester, N.Y. When the 100 exposures were taken, the camera was returned to Eastman to have the film developed, prints made and the camera reloaded.
The camera itself cost $25 — a sum that would feed a family of four for a month in those days. And each processing cost an additional $10. It was George Eastman's dream to make personal photography affordable for the average man, but this was not something that he was able to accomplish until 1900 when the now famous Brownie went on sale for just $1.
Eastman Dry Plate and Film Co. became the Eastman Co. in 1889 and Eastman Kodak in 1892. Between 1888 and 1896 these entities manufactured more than 100,000 cameras.
This sounds like a lot, but the first Kodak camera (made in 1888 and 1889) can be worth well in excess of $4,000 depending on its condition and where it is sold.
After this, the value of the cameras fall off rather dramatically. The value of the No. 1 Kodak, which was made from 1889 to 1895, is seldom worth more than one-quarter the value of the first Kodak, while the price of the No. 2 Kodak fetches about one-half that of the No. 1.
Prices really fall off (as a general rule) once the cameras became affordable by the general public and mass production began in earnest. The Nos. 1 and 1A Pocket Kodaks like the one on today's question were introduced in 1926 and were produced in great quantities until 1931.
These were folding cameras, and the first were black. But from 1929 to 1932 models were made in colors of blue, brown, green or gray. If the camera found in F.B.'s mother-in-law's basement is in perfect condition and all black in color, its insurance replacement value is less than $20. If it is one of the models manufactured in color, that price should double.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Treasures in Your Attic" (HarperCollins, $18). Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.