Port Colborne Auction this Weekend

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. We are in the home stretch of our first ever auction outside Toronto. The auction is a two day event held on June 25 and 26 featuring lots from the Kantymir collection. You may have seen Bill or his son John and their families at our fairs with tables of wonderful antique cameras and lenses and photographs and accessories for the collectors and more modern versions for the active photographers amongst us – both film and digital.

Through the efforts of our president and auctioneer, Lewko (Clint) Hryhorijiw, A second huge batch of lots has been photographed. This two day auction promises to be most memorable with both  rare items and  user items for both film and digital folk – photographs, cameras, lenses, accessories, books, and more. Come on down/up to the Port and enjoy this event while adding to your collection or user gear!

While everyone is welcome, there will be no consignment lots at the door as all lots are from the Kantymir collection – first come first serve.

This is our second post of sample lot photos (another 200+ items). The slide show was compiled with the help of an  app called Exhibeo 2. Click on the lot montage photo below, then on the lot shown in the upper left and then on any lot icon to see it larger. Your left/right arrows will work to move from one enlarged photo to another. Enjoy!

Auction June 25 & 26 in Port Colborne, Ontario. Click montage to see a second slide show

PS. No need to search elsewhere – the slide show of lots loaded a few days ago is at the ink repeated here for your convenience..

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Automat? What about a Lordomat 35mm lens?

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Robert

A Schacht Travenar 35mm lens for the Lordomat

Toronto. If you like watching old movies, you have likely seen the famous Automat cafeteria in NYC. These automated restaurants were threatened and often ‘ate’ up by by the growth of fast food outlets.

Sadly our camera industry was no different than the food industry. In the 1950s, when camera companies jostled one another for retail sales, a small German firm in Wetzlar called Leidolf produced high quality 35mm cameras to compete on the open market.  An interesting story; at one time Leidolf made parts for Leitz before competing with them by manufacturing cameras. The company was absorbed by Wild Heerbrug who were later absorbed by Leitz – small world. The Canadian branch of Leitz was known as Wild-Leitz in the 1970s.

This coated lens is an f/3.5 35mm focal length with an odd breech mount. The lens is designated a Schacht-Travenar 1:3.5/35. Schacht was an optical company at the time and made many varieties of the 35mm Travenar. For the Lordomat camera, the lens was placed in a breech lens mount. The sturdy little chrome and black lens has the rear elements imbedded in the camera.

Did you know the auction in Port Colborne this weekend has a lovely version for the Lordomat in an original brown leather case and strap. The case is stamped “Lordomat” on the lid and ‘Made in Germany’ on the bottom.

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a heck of a lens

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Robert

c1931-2 5cm f/2.5 Hektor lens

Toronto. The 5cm, f/2.5 Hektor was the first ‘fast’ lens produced by Leitz for the Leica. The mount was much like its stable-mate. the 5cm, f/3.5 Elmar. About 10,000 were made, most before 1938. Production records show the beginning year was 1931, but some sources say a few were made in late 1930. Leitz made some that were camera specific. Very early none standard Hectors were not rangefinder coupled either.

Later in 1931 the so called Standard Leica was made with a standard distance from film to lens flange and from then on all lenses became interchangeable with all camera bodies. The lens mount and lenses were stamped with a tiny letter ‘O’ to signify usability of standard lenses.

If you want a 5cm Hektor for your collection, the June 25 & 26 auction in Port Colborne has one with an authentic front lens cap and marked with the small ‘O’.

 

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did you hear? the fat’s in the auction!

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Robert

a beautiful example of a 1931 9cm Fat Elmar in black enamel with both caps

Toronto. The 9cm Elmar was made from 1931 to 1968 – nearly 40 years. It was an early addition to the Leica stable once interchangeable lenses were marketed. The 9cm focal length had a pleasant presentation of head and bust size portraits.

In 1931 and 1932, the 9cm Elmar was sold in the so called ‘fat‘ mount – reminiscent of the mount for the faster 73mm Hektor lens. After 2 years the mount was offered in the ‘thin’ version. Production of the ‘fat’ Elmar lasted 2 years and totalled just under 2,500 made – under 1,000 in 1931. The very earliest 9cm Elmars have neither an external serial number, nor a means to adjust a rangefinder as the focussing mount is turned.

You don’t have one in your collection yet? Well are you in luck, A 1931 Fat Elmar 9cm lens in beautiful black enamel with neither a serial number nor linkage to a rangefinder will be offered in its own brown leather case at the June 25 & 26 Port Colborne auction.

Note. The title for this post is a riff on the old saying (no so in this case), “the fat’s in the fire“.

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as good as a nod

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Robert

c 1929 Leitz WINKO right angle viewer accessory

Toronto. So called detective cameras became popular once the speed of dry plate technology allowed hand held use in day light. The camera itself was built into or enclosed by various satchels, leather boxes, purses, etc.

At our December, 2003 ‘Show and Tell‘ meeting, an excited Bill Kantymir showed us his very rare 1889 Dr Krugener detective camera that he had picked up on the way to the meeting. It was a wooden glass plate camera housed in a black leather case. While rather large to our eyes, with no tripod attached, people of the era would not suspect it being a camera.

When the tiny Leica went on the market and began the minicam revolution, a need for added lenses and accessories became apparent. To meet the ‘detective’ aspirations, Leitz came up with a fancy right angle viewer so the photographer would seem to look away from his target subject.

The earliest version of this viewer with a large thermo-plastic (Bakelite) black eyepiece was offered in 1929 to fit a none rangefinder Leica. You don’t have a WINKO in your collection? You are in luck, a beautiful c1929 model WINKO in the original leather case will be auctioned at our Port Colborne auction on June 25 & 26!

NB. The title of this post is a riff on the old saying, ‘a nod is as good as a wink‘.

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a view from above

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Robert

c1932 AUFSU waist level viewfinder for Leica

Toronto. When the novel Leica camera took off in the 1930s, Leitz created a plethora of accessories to allow the tiny marvel to be used for almost every photographic task.

Years earlier, folders and box cameras used a viewfinder where one looked down to see the scene in front of the camera – the ‘belly button school of photography’ later emulated by the twin lens reflex cameras.

To allow a Leica to do this effect, a right angle viewer called the AUFSU was offered in 1932. Improvements were made a few years later and the ‘code’ was changed accordingly.

If you are missing this earliest of waist level viewfinders, then look no further! An extremely rare example without the accessory shoe, or the ‘cross and circle’ focussing aid – just four tiny black rectangles – one in each corner of the view – will be auctioned off June 25 & 26 in our Port Colborne auction.

As a bonus, this AUFSU comes complete with a brown leather case, Both viewer and case are signed “Leitz”. See you in the Port!

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Port Colborne Auction June 25 & 26

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Our joint journal editor, David Bridge whipped up this tasty poster for the auction weekend we have landed for the end of June. I am nearly finished photographing the Leica stuff (some rather rare pieces) and will post them shortly. Meantime, the post shows how to get there while this link shows a sample of what will be auctioned.

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our boys used it too

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Robert

a 1944 war letter from Holland

Toronto. Another use for photography was to reduce the size and weight of letters. George Dunbar shares with us an article from the February, 1943 issue of Popular Mechanics titled, “Tiny Films Speed ‘V-Mail’  to Men Overseas“. While the article touts the use of special photographic techniques to reduce the size and weight of letters sent from the States to men fighting in WW2, our soldiers used a similar system to lighten letters sent back home as shown by one example.

WW2 was a tumultuous time filled with both horror and innovation. In photography, we saw many new ideas burst forth as ways were found to improve the art to help the war effort. Many of the ideas came to fruition after the war ended.

This particular idea seems to have disappeared in the mists of time – unless you think of modern day emails and internet and smart phones …

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Port Colborne Auction June 25 & 26 2022

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Robert
  • Toronto. Hard on the heels of our Spring Fair, we will be hosting our first ever auction OUTSIDE of Toronto. This two day event will be at the Lion’s Club hall in Port Colborne. On auction are many pieces collected by the late father/son team of Bill and John Kantymir. You may have seen Bill or John at our fairs where they had tables filled with unusual cameras, images, and lenses. Many rare and usable items will be auctioned.

We will be holding it on SATURDAY (June 25), and SUNDAY (June 26, 2022) at the Lion’s Club in Port Colborne – free parking and free admission.

This Auction will be simply terrific – rare items and  user items for both film and digital folk – photographs, cameras, lenses, accessories, books, and more. Come out and enjoy this event while adding to your collection or user gear!

Everybody is welcome. Sorry, no consignment lots at the door.  All lots are the Kantymir collection – really good items, many very rare. First come first serve.

Our first sample lot photos (130+ items) and second lot (now 170+ items with lots from Leitz, and one Zeiss lens) are shown below. Included are some rare Leica collectibles like a Leica II, a Hektor 5cm, special viewers, fat Elmar, etc.

This  slide show was compiled with the help of the app Exhibeo 2. We owe a big thanks to Clint for photographing this incredible series of examples. Click on the stereo viewer photo below, then on the lot shown in the upper left and then on any lot icon to see it larger. Your left/right arrows will work to move from one enlarged photo to another. Enjoy!

This beautiful stereo viewer will go on auction June 25 & 26

 

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a cautionary tale

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Robert

Alan Tessier of Ottawa and his new camera

Toronto.  In 2005, ebay was a popular source of rare cameras and images much desired by collectors of photographic material. Some sellers gained sufficient experience to ‘sell’ their skill to those who had a one-off sale of items. There was the odd ‘bad apple’ amongst the sellers. In one case, a seller ran what turned out to be a ‘Ponzi‘ scheme – the owners of the sold goods were paid from the sale of later goods; the earnings being spent by the actual seller instead of going to the owner of the goods.

In another ‘scheme’ I was made aware of, a person off shore posing as a disappointed buyer would send a cheque sum many times more than the item he ‘lost’ on ebay was worth, asking the seller if he could send an alternate item plus a bank draft for the balance. The so called buyer relied on bank policy of withholding payment for 14 days until the foreign cheque cleared. By the time the cheque bounced as a fake, the ‘buyer’ expected to have the so-called balance of funds in hand and would disappear.

When we still met in person, our then 1st VP who conducted a lot of business through ebay, noted that the rules had changed to offer better protection to the buyer. Unfortunately the swing was so heavy that sellers ended up at serious risk of any given sale being rejected and actually costing them money or worse.

This hit home recently when Les Jones, our past president, etc. sent me a link to a CBC article written by Dan Taekema · CBC News on June 9th and titled, “Camera sale shemozzle puts focus on how eBay policies affect sellers“. So today it is, “caveat venditor” – seller beware rather than, “caveat emptor” – buyer beware.

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