blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

I have a confession to make, I am an addict, I am a flea market addict, I had this addiction for about 50 years and it is not going away with age. How else would you describe a nut that drags himself out of bed at 4 am every weekend to join the other addicts in the search of the unknown in hope to find that rare object? There is John the watch guy, Frank the golfing guy, Joe the radio guy, Art the art guy, Nancy the doll lady, Ann the Lladro girl, even a Hans the Beer Stein guy and there is me, Mike the camera guy. We all are experts in our particular addiction and we help each other locating items and that is exactly what happened last Saturday. As I was looking for my flashlight in the glove compartment of my truck John the watch guy came up to me and said that a guy has red and black camera at the end of the second aisle and he told the vendor to put it aside for Mike the camera guy. Needless to say I put my 84 year old legs in fifth gear on overdrive and charged down the aisle, on the end there was a man just loading up his table using a Coleman lamp for illumination, so I asked him if he has that red and black camera put aside for me, yes, he says, are you Mike the camera guy? That’s me, I replied, so he walks to the front of his van pulls out a paper shopping bag and hands it to me. In the dim light I removed the camera very carefully from the bag and opened the front door flashing my flashlight on it, wow what a beautiful sight for this addict, bright red bellows and that polished mahogany wood staring at me, an amazing find. There was no customary haggling over the asking price, I opened my wallet and paid, my addiction got its fix. Thank you John the watch guy, I promise, as soon as I see a non-fake Rolex watch on a table I will tell the vendor to hold it for you. I must say I had many old cameras over the years but none were in this like new condition especially being 120 years old, amazingly the lens is all clear and the shutter still works at all speeds. The camera is a “Long Focus Cycle Wizard” it was made by Manhattan Optical in the late eighteen hundreds, the company was later absorbed by Eastman Kodak, a piece of Photographic History. This is by far not the rarest or the most valuable camera I have found but for sure the prettiest, in my eyes anyway. The rarest would be the Schmidt Patent 1882 camera, only a handful in existence, next is a 1914 US Army Signal Corps 3a Special Kodak in gun metal only 20 issued. The most expensive was a super rare Nikon black S2 (My UHH name if you ever wondered) the camera had the 50mm rare 1.1.1 lens and was like new in the original box, it sold at the Vienna Westlicht Auction for 17,700 euros, around $20,000. Paid for my Pick Up truck. I also have a Leica II (1931) that has US Navy engraving, including the order number, it is impossible to verify the authenticity as the Navy never kept any records and no others were ever seen, the Leica is real but the engraving, nobody knows.
Every time I find such treasures I get reminded of a quotation in one of Robert E. Service poems he wrote about the Yukon gold rush “It’s not so much having the gold it is finding it” Since most photographers like to brag like: I have an xyz camera with a dozen wyz lenses, so now it’s my turn to brag, I have a 120 year old 5x7 Manhattan Long Focus Cycle Wizard camera with 5 film holders which has zero mega pixels, can anyone top that? Got to go now it’s getting late I have to go to bed, have to get up at 4 am, tomorrow is the De Anza flea market it’s a big one, it takes three hours to cover it I will put a lot more miles on my old worn out legs. Have to get that fix.

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ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Great find. It's a real beauty!!

Mormorazzi Loc: Temple, Texas

What a gorgeous camera ... and equally wonderful story! Thanks for sharing it with us.

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Thank you very much, it's one of the nicest I ever owned.

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Thank you very much for commenting, I am glad to share a part of my addiction. :lol:

Dick Z. Loc: Downers Grove IL

Thanks for sharing one of your most favorite things Mike. A great looking view camera. Almost resembles my old 4x5 Speed graphic I had in the 40s. You must certainly get lots of walking exercise at all those Flea Markets. By the way we're the same age. I get most of my exercise flying RC planes and lots of walking also. :) :) :)

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Then you might like this...

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33034/33034-h/33034-h.htm

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Thanks Dick, I guess walking keeps us alive. Yes the camera is a beauty, almost like new, amazing for that age. Even the film holder are still light tight. In the mid fifties I had a short stint with a newspaper in Canada I used a Speed Graphic also, 6 holders 12 shots going on an assignment, you better know what you are doing.
Wish you a great weekend and keep on walking.

C.R. Loc: United States of Confusion

sweet

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Thank you very much, I will check it out tommorow. I had a few Premo cameras, the Tele Cycle Poco and the reversible back Premo. On my posting the film holders are Premo however the camera is a Manhattan Optical, I assume that they were too small a company to produce film holders so they did market the Premo.

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Thank you very much.

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Well, I think you have OD'd with your addiction.....
Great find and story!!!
Thanks for sharing.
Pat

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Thank you very much Pat, glad you like my story and the price of my addiction.

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Glad you found something wonderful to feed that addiction. Makes it all worth the effort, doesn't it? Nice find, Mike!

GeneM Loc: Upstate PA

WOW, Mike! Never seen one like that. Congrats on the great find. Thanks for showing, and I really liked your story.