Monthly Archives: February 2020

… deja vu all over again.

Toronto. Exclaimed Yogi Berra, the NY Yankees’ master of mangled metaphors. He may have been referring to our auctions – or the lot with the box of stereo viewers (every collection needs at least one Holmes Stereo Viewer). If your collection … Continue reading

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discovering blackness

Toronto. Almost missed Black History Month (February). Mea Culpa. The AGO has a self-guided tour called Discovering Blackness in and out of the vault.  The self-tour begins tonight from 5 to 9 pm. Typical of the photographs, is the one … Continue reading

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raising value

Toronto. Collecting photographica a half century ago was relatively inexpensive.  Few cameras were valued highly. Many bargains turned up in garage sales. Few books were available on the history of photography or cameras. There was no Ebay. No internet. One … Continue reading

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splish, splash, flash

Toronto. In the mid last century, these bulbs and guns were all the rage. They were replaced by cheap electronic flashguns that also went through changes. The mid blue coating on the bulbs allowed outdoor colour film to be used … Continue reading

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the case of the glassy-eyed collector …

Toronto. On a Sunday in mid March, the glassy-eyed collector staggered into a legion hall deep in the far SW corner of the big smoke. His bleary eyes cast around the room and to his amazement he saw that he … Continue reading

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snap, snap. snap, snapshot

Toronto. Post World War 2, American photography companies worked hard to capture a segment of the amateur photography market. The most popular strategies were flash (for night and indoor shots), Colour (for realism), fast results (seeing how a shot turned … Continue reading

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picture me, picture you, picture auntie Sue

Toronto. We all have family photos.  Once  photo prices fell in the mid 1800s, CDVs were all the rage. When the market became saturated, studios moved to larger cards like the Cabinet cards. Albums became the way to hold and … Continue reading

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das Nettar das ist gut

Toronto. Ahhh, “the Nettar – that is good”, as they say in Europe. Your collection should have at least one German folder. The Nettar, as it was known, was also called the BOB in Germany. It was a less expensive … Continue reading

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April in NYC

Toronto. Just imagine! Going to the Big Apple (NYC) and having a chance to add to your collection while helping one of our exchange organizations! Each year in the Big Apple, the Daguerreian Society hosts the NY Photography Fair. While … Continue reading

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a little less Horace …

Toronto. If you are not heading to the West coast in April, perhaps another show on the same date of April 19th will help. About two hours west of here in London, Ontario, Maureen and Ron Tucker are hosting the … Continue reading

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