We attended the Penn Camera Imaging Expo this past weekend in Tysons, VA. It was a great event with factory reps from over a dozen major brands, mini-seminars and staff to appraise collectible cameras. I have a camera that was once my father's, and was unsure how the dang thing worked. So we thought this was an excellent chance to find out more about it. Gerry and Fred, at Penn Camera, were super helpful. Fred got the camera working as best he could given its condition.
We learned that the camera is turn of the century, roughly 95 years old. It was called the Eastman Kodak Autographic and was mass marketed during it's time. In the photo you can see there is a small stylus, just to the right of the lens (most Autographics found today, no longer have these). The stylus would have been used to etch important information the photographer wished to capture (i.e. date, time, location, exposure) in a small opening in the back onto the film. It was really ahead of it's time. The bellows are sadly in bad shape, but we were given contact information to someone who might be able to work on it. We also found out that there is a person who cuts bulk Kodak film to fit this camera. So, if we wanted to invest some money... I could actually use it - Pretty Cool!
While it was mass produced and really isn't a big "Antique Road Show find"... it does have sentimental value, since this was once my Dad's.
Here's a couple of neat ads that we found for the Autographic, back in the day:
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