1896 Lancaster Antique Wood Camera Outfit w/\"Rubber Band\" Shutter & Darkroom Set For Sale

This is a special 3-day listing, ending Sunday night. All of my items are shipped within one business day of when payment is received, so for sales ending this coming Sunday night, andfinancially settled that evening,that means delivery before Christmas (the following Monday) is a safe bet for east coast and midwest locations in the USA, but a longshot for many west coast locations in the USA unlessarrangementsfor expedited delivery are made in advance. No items can be delivered outside the USA before Christmas; sorry.
Here\'s an outstanding 120+ year-old Lancaster Instantograph quarter-plate camera (when closed it measures just 5 1/2\" x 6\" x 3\") with a polished mahogany body, maroon leather bellows, a working double-slide plate holder, and an early, desirable and properly working Lancaster rotary shutter, known also as a \"rubber band\" shutter because it used a rubber band to create the necessary tension that allowed you to cock and fire the shutter mechanism. The camera comes with a suite of antique darkroom supplies, including a candle-powered safelite (red glass), a developing tank, vials of dry fixing and developing chemicals, a canister of Excelsior developer for printing paper, an unopened box of Hardening Powder, a partial box of 3x4 sheets of Velox printing paper, an empty box of Seed\'s dry plates, and a measuring beaker. Everything, including all of the darkroom apparatus and chemicals, as well as the camera, the lens and the shutter, fits into a sturdy, handled latchingcase (appears to be walnut) that\'s just 16\" wide by 6\" deep by 7\" high.Camera\'s condition overall is excellent, with both of the original Lancaster tags still adhered to to the body. The mahogany camera body is lovely, and the wood\'s finish is original and still smooth to the touch. Original lacquered brass fittings and hardware are clean, with a beautiful patina and only moderate tarnish consistent with age and authenticity. The original glass focusing plate is clean and undamaged, and with sufficient lighting the lens throws a crisp image against it.
The lens barrel is clean and undamaged, and the removable rubber band shutter is working properly. As the tensioning arm is extended, the shutter speed increases. (Look at the 6th photograph to see how the rubber band is arranged on the shutter). The camera back is adjustable -- and removeable -- and none of the original hardware fittings are damaged or missing. The camera has an extendible bed with rack and pinion focusing, and the front standard still moves easily along the rack and retreats all the way into the body when the camera is stowed away. The bellows exhibit minimal edge and corner wear, as you can see. The bellows retreat neatly into the camera\'s body when the camera is closed, with no mis-folds.
Overall, a beautiful palm-sized antique camera outfit that looks great on a shelf or table. The camera has not been tested with film or dry plates and is being offered for historical and/or collecting purposes only. The darkroom chemicals are more than a century old, so needless to say, they are well past their expiration date and are included for display purposes only.Shipping weight will be about 12 lb.That\'s about it. I will pack it carefully and properly. sale participants with no prior response history or with hidden response should contact me before placing a offer. Buyer prepays and includes shipping.

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