Found an old grey box at a garage/rummage sale last Friday....

[Bart B]

.....and out of curiosity, I opened it up. Big camera, film backs/holders, flash, manuals, film. Checked it out. My mind flashed back to the mid 1960's when I used an old 2x3 Century Graphic taking portraits, doing darkroom work for my own pictures to earn a few extra dollars. I actually trembled a bit as I grabbed the camera's leather strap and lifted the camera out. Took me a while to remember how to thumbroll the knobs to unlock its bed. After the bed dropped, what I saw inside was in very good to excellent condition. Except for the foam pads in the box.

Made an offer. "Sold" was the reply from its owner.

Anyway, here's what I got for US$20.00:

That old, grey Graflex vulcanoid box.
Super Speed Graphic serial number 6547XX (1965?)
135mm Graflex Optar f/4.5-32 Rodenstock lens in Graflex 1000 shutter, serial number 55990XX (1964?).
Graflex Super Graphic Optical Viewfinder with mask for 10-exp. 120 film.
Both batteries dead, need replaced.
Two Graflex double-sided sheet film holders.
One Graflex Graphic 4x5 film pack adapter.
One Graflex Grafmatic 4x5 film holder.
One Graflex RH10 size (2.25x2.75) 120 roll film back.
One Graflex Polaroid Land 4x5 film holder.
One Graflex Presslok tripod mount.
One Graflex 2-cell Graphlite flash with "Y" connecting cord.
One 5-inch and one 7-inch reflector heads.
Twelve Sylvania 25B flash bulbs.
Series 6 Kodak red and yellow filters.
A dozen or two sheets of old film.
Users manual, price list, accessory manual, repair cost sheet.

What's all this stuff worth on the market? Approximate range is good enough.

I've located a source for batteries and have downloaded a few megabytes of manuals and other good stuff. Alll that stuff I forgot about my old 2x3 is slowly coming back.

It looks really neat on the shelf next to my Nikon D700 DSLR.

Found this website and decided to join. I'll be developing film soon, then scan those neg's into images. My youngest son owns a geotagging software business and I asked him if he's interested in adding large format camera databases to his product line; he said in so many kind words: "C'mon, Dad, people don't use those cameras any more. Do they make digital backs for them?" So I'm trying to find an answer for him..

Bart B.

[eddie]

nice find. i first read you got ot for 200 and thought you did well. then i reread and see $20!

well done!

enjoy the camera. welcome to therapy.

eddie

[Brian Ellis]

Welcome, there's quite a few people here from Portland and the rest of Oregon. You basically got the camera, lens, and a few of the 4x5 holders for $20, great price if they work. Most of the rest of the stuff is obsolete.

[Kevin Crisp]

A steal on the camera. The shutter on your lens is extremely troublesome, Steve Grimes told me not to touch one. Too useful a camera to put on display.

[goamules]

I love my Speed Graphic, and have had some of the mini ones, but never shot them. They seem an even better size for handheld work. Don't know about that shutter, but even if it's broken, you can get lucky on another lens/shutter pretty easily.

[Vick Vickery]

Welcome to group therepy! :) You STOLE that outfit!! The best way I've found to value individual items is to check historic data on eBay sales and to look at used dealers like KEH, B&H, etc., but just to make you feel good, the Graphmatic holder or the roll-film holder would each sell (in good working condition) for two or three times the $20 you spent.

[Ash]

Check out a previous thread called 'biggest steal you ever made?'....i think you win

[Bart B]

Thanks to those who've responded.

Eddie, I thought it would cost at least $200 myself, but I though I'd offer an ultra-low price to see what would happen. I've bought high-end Nikon gear at garage sales for less than 10 cents of the going dollar, too.

Brian, I went to jr. high and high scool in Forest Grove, c/o '55. Was up there for a reunion last July and 5 years ago. We love the Oregon coast. I agree, some of the film holders aren't useful which is why I'm gonna sell the Polaroid and Graflex film pack back (for only the first two verses of a song 'cause I got the whole kit and kaboodle for a song) of trade 'em off. Would just as soon have more Graplex film holders and another Graphmatic back.

Kevin and Garrett, I've read a few horror stories on that Graflex 1000 shutter; great for Halloween a few days ago. But this one seems OK and (according to its previoius owner's son) was not used very much. I'll keep using it until some problems arise.

I'm near half way done with a project to mount an old Pentax Superlite speedlight (ISO 100 guide number 73, holds four AA batteries) on top of the Graflite battery holder. 'Twill be PVC pipe fittings slipped snugly on the bulb end making contact the same as a screw-in flash bulb. It'll go in a metal accessory shoe from a 99-cent all plastic camera from Goodwill screwed on to a flat part on top. It'll have a pushbutton like the Graflex flash heads do to unlock it from the bulb end. A jumper rod between the Graflite case bottom and center contact at the top will complete the camera's shutter circuit to the accessory shoe. Flash bulbs are hard to find these days.

Bart

[Vaughn]

...My youngest son owns a geotagging software business and I asked him if he's interested in adding large format camera databases to his product line; he said in so many kind words: "C'mon, Dad, people don't use those cameras any more. Do they make digital backs for them?" So I'm trying to find an answer for him..

Bart B.

If it was one of my boys, I would answer with a loving size 13 to the backside...:D

Congrats on a sweet deal!

[Sirius Glass]

Drop kick from the 40 yard line through the goal posts ...