Newman & Guardia English camera.

[Guest]

Not sure where to post this but I have my Grandfathers Newman & Guardia folding reflex camera, said to be a camera that was for Kings only because it cost more than a house when he bought it.....................I was wondering if anyone out there has one of their cameras. Here is a link on the model I have.

http://www.earlyphotography.co.uk/site/entry_C156.html#C629

 

[Roger Hicks]

Not a very expensive house, I think... Yes, I've had one. It was OK. I prefer Sanderson or Gandolfi.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Guest]

How many cameras cost more than a house today, the average house price in the UK now is about 170,000 British pounds. The camera in question cost 54 British pounds in 1932. The Hasselblad digitals are about 50,000 in toadys money, so it was an expensive camera.

 

[mfogiel]

Current data is only available till 2012. In 2012, £32 0s 0d from 1932 is worth



£1,880.00 using the retail price index

£5,340.00 using average earnings

However, the real value will depend on collector demand. Sometimes people can spend a lot for an object:
http://blog.quickmeme.com/post/1163381548/justin-timberlakes-half-eaten-french-toast-sold-for

 

[sevo]

Nope. A brief research reveals that the average UK house at the time cost 1500UKP (then value), and due to the dramatic housing shortage of the period even slum dwellings facing abandonment sold for upward of 500.

Nonetheless, 54 UKP were a quite considerable amount - about half the average annual (arguably starving level) labourers earnings at the peak of the big depression, and beyond the means of the average middle class photography enthusiast back then - much like a current pro digital.