Category Archives: history

now open really, really wide

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Robert

Toronto.  In issue 27-5 of our journal, Bill Belier in his column “A Treasure From My Collection”, featured my small collection of Protars which I had obtained from Bill some time earlier. My part of Bill’s article begins, “In September … Continue reading →

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stuck

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. For some image collectors, outdoor shots; weather shots; equipment shots; etc all prove attractive. While the photo at left covers all these categories, at c1958 it is a wee bit too new to be a collectible. One can imagine … Continue reading →

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flights of fancy

Posted on June 9, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. While this October 1958 photo of a helicopter atop a mountain in a snow storm is far too new for collecting, some collectors relish photos from the 1800s that show various airplane configurations as the craft evolved. While perhaps … Continue reading →

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break time

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Many old photo collectors specialize in industrial or outdoor images. Such images are harder to find, as the vast majority offered seem to be portraits – some even of famous people. While this photo c1957 is rather new to … Continue reading →

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out with the old …

Posted on June 6, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. … and in with the new. Many image collectors strive for special photos other than the common place portraits – like outdoor, or industry images. Bell was turfing the old ‘C’ carrier for the new ‘N’ carrier around the … Continue reading →

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action central

Posted on June 5, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. The photo at left is too new (about 67 years old) to be collectible. An old photo of any industrial process is of interest to a collector – the older the better. This is a photo of the telephone … Continue reading →

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the gang’s all here …

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Later in the 1800s when CdV sales began to fall off, larger size cards were created (like larger smartphones today). The cabinet card shown here was large enough to allow small groups to be easily seen. In this example, … Continue reading →

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mama look a boo boo

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Image collectors sometimes look for interesting people, and especially outdoors views. At left is a tintype of a family or two by a tree. The look of the people suggest an eastern European origin. Those into old photographs should … Continue reading →

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all the lovely people

Posted on June 2, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Old photo collectors are an interesting bunch. The fully exposed image is sought but a less than perfect one fits the bill until a better one is spotted and the less than ideal photo becomes suitable for trade. An … Continue reading →

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famous people photos

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. A sub set of many photo collections is portraits of famous people – usually in politics or entertainment. We should see more famous people outside these two genres like those of the scientific world such as Michael Faraday (digitized … Continue reading →

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