Re: If only they were cameras....stereocards revisited

[P3D Bob Wier <wier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Eddie Hosey wrote: 


deleted 

>Now, when I am at flea markets and swap meets I see people are asking $10 or more 
>per scene (assuming it is in nice condition).  I think this is what is most 
>prohibitive to me (and others?) when I am considering buying more.  I picked up a 
>View Master box (maroon & green) crammed full of old reels for $50.  Several of 
>them are very rare and valuable.
>

Yes - I got into view collecting right at the end of the period where they
were affordable - about 10 years ago. I think one of the things that drove
view prices up was that the *viewers* became a "collectable" as a decorative
item a number of years ago. As the viewer prices rose, so did the cost
of the views, since they were frequently sold as single units (at least
by many non-speciality antique/fleamarket dealers). Also, some subjects
skyrocketed out of sight (particularly black and native american subjects). 
I was once in an antique store in Old Tempe (Arizona) which *did* have
a nice selection at a reasonable price, and the owner told me that 
Whoopie Goldberg's then boyfriend came in a bought *every* black subject
card, regardless of price. I'm fortunate in that I mostly am after 
western USA, mining, and industrial subjects which (with the exception
of Steam Locomotives) have not had that kind of price rise. 

I might note, though, that if you can get to an NSA convention there are
many good quality views sold at very reasonable prices. My most
expensive card is a William Henry Jackson 1883 view of a narrow
gauge steam engine on the Gunnison River in front of the Chipeta
waterfall - that was about $125 five years ago (slightly damaged).
Too much, really, but it's so rare to see one that I decided to
go for it anyway. Most of my stuff has been acquired in the $3-$6
range (and I generally pass at anything over $8). Like most things,
antique dealers like to deal in bulk. I've had good luck (when I had
the money to spare) to offer say $100 for a whole box of cards - which
gives me a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in, but the ones I DO like
come out costing about as much as if I'd bought them individually, and also
gives me trading stock for other collectors. For me, the antique viewers
are not interesting - I only bought one a couple of years ago when I
started showing views to people who can't freeview. I looked for a couple
of years and finally found one with excellent optics, but is a "no name",
for about $65 if I remember correctly. 

Of course one of the fun things is just looking, and you sometimes
do hit good values. I recently was able to buy 4 cyanotypes for $3
each (the first I'd ever seen available for purchase) - unfortunately
they are not stereo (has anyone ever seen a stereo cyanotype?).

For whatever it's worth...

--B.W.

   -------- Bob Wier ----- wier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -----
  East Texas State University Computer Science Dept.
   keeper of the Motorola MC68HC11, ICOM Radio, and
   Overland-Trails mailing lists and the LDS Genealogy
                     State Research Outlines 
         "Congress - n. - the antonym of Progress"



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