The value of Rare lenses

[IanG]

How do you determine the value of a rare lens ?

Maybe that's easier when there are others for sale but what about a lens so rare no-one else seems to have one and it's not listed anywhere by the manufacturer.

That's the dilemma I have with a Zeiss lens at the moment, in fact I want to use it (and will) but ultimately it might be worth far more to a collector.

Ian

[Steve Goldstein]

Not answering your question, but Galli probably has two...

[goamules]

It's very difficult to gauge the value of uncommon items in already specialized niche markets. A very popular, cult item is usually worth more than an unknown, but rare item. What causes value? Demand. Examples:

- A son of a studio photographer has a Darlot Puyo. They were made for only a few years, in small numbers. She finally sells it after lowering the price to $500.
- A daughter of a studio photographer has a Dallmeyer 3B. It is not rare, having been made for 66 years in the thousands. She sells it to one of the many, many people clammering for it for $1800.
- A man out west has a strand of the most rare barbwire ever made. No one else knows that it's so rare, so he cannot sell it.

The question is; how many people want or collect the type of Zeiss lens that you have? I've got a bunch of rare lenses, some made only for a few years, of excellent quality and historic value. But they are not worth as much as some very common lenses right now.

[genotypewriter]

Demand and desirability are different things. E.g. the Schneider XXL lenses.

Also, there are some very interesting lenses floating around on ebay and with no one else selling one in this lifetime, they're practically one of a kind. But I ask myself whether the final images will show anything that's worth the extra or the trouble and most of the time the answer is no.

[Oren Grad]

The only way to know for sure is to do the equivalent of destructive testing: sell it. You can have the answer to your question or you can have the lens, but not both.

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

It is actually quite simple: it is the value that someone else is willing to pay for at a certain time. Unfortunately there is no better answer that I would know of, as there is no absolute statement possible.

So I agree with Oren on that one.

[Steve Smith]

it is the value that someone else is willing to pay for at a certain time.

For that to be true, everyone in the world who is potentially a buyer would have to be aware that it is for sale.


Steve.

[CCHarrison]

For that to be true, everyone in the world who is potentially a buyer would have to be aware that it is for sale.

Steve.

Supply and demand; factoring in, the time, place and circumstance of the sale. Ebay has had a tremendous impact on all collectible values because it has been able to reach a much greater audience than any other market.

Dan

[Dan Fromm]

Dan, I'm all for solidarity among Dans but I have to disagree a little with you.

eBay is a great place for selling low- and mid-level collectibles, but I think specialized auction houses like Westlicht are preferable for high-end items. My late friend Charlie Barringer discussed how his estate should best dispose of his treasures with many people, concluded that Westlicht was the right venue for his collection. I don't think that his Super-Q Gigantar and Barry Lyndon lens would have fetched as much on eBay as Westlicht got for them.

Cheers,

Dan

[rdenney]

If it is a lens you use, use it. It's not merely a collector's item. If you suspect it has collector value, then take good care of it while you use it. But use it if you want to.

If you don't want to use it, and you are not a collector, then sell it. Whether a specialized auction house or something like eBay is more appropriate depends on the piece, but that's a different question than the one you asked.

What something is "worth" is purely theoretical. The number that has any real practical meaning is what it will sell for, or what it will cost you to replace it should it be lost. You can never reach all potential buyers, but the number has to consider what effort you are willing to undertake (and at what cost in terms of effort, time, and money) to find the right potential buyers. What those outlets might be for something really collectible is also a different question. There is no substitute for experience for estimating what something might fetch in various selling venues. If you suspect you have something really valuable, it might be worth what it costs to have it appraised by someone with that level of experience.

Rick "whose 'collection' will someday decorate the inside of a dumpster" Denney