In through The Out Door

Tip for the day:

If the crowd is too long and you are crunched for time, find the exit and walk in through the exit, if you get stopped just say you were already in. This worked for me today. Im glad I didnt wait in line, there was nothing worth waiting for. And be careful were you park, as I was leaving I saw a cop ticketing a bunch of cars parked to close to the corner and blocking the hydrant. I parked in the driveway, nobody ever park there, so it's usually open.

Nikons Throughout The Ages

Find Hidden Treasures Tucked Away Under Tables At Estate Sales

I found a box containing about 40 of these Bolex Reporter Magazines dating from the 50's through the 60's
I had no clue what they where worth but took a chance on the box for $10. Since then I have sold these for $7-$20 per magazine and have sold about 14 for $200. I am always on the look out for magazines now. However most magazines aren't worth much. So are worth lots. The reason I bought these is because I am familiar with Bolex camera, I've bought and sold a few. This is my nitch.

SCORE!! $50 find will have a $1250 return!

The Score : Hasselblad 500 ELX complete with 80mm 2.8 Zeiss lens, viewfinder and film back. It does need a trip to the repair shop due to the shutter not releasing properly, probably a couple of hundred to fix. But I should be able to sell this for $1250, at least. I paid $50. So, if I spend $200 to fix that will be a $1000 gain. I will probably have to fire off a couple of rolls first!

Hammond Auto Vari 64, Drum Accompaniment for vintage Organs

I've picked up a few of these over the last couple of years, both for around $40. They will usually be attached to an organ, on top of it most likely.It is a drum machine, pre programmed beats, like salsa, rock, mambo, etc.. They sell on ebay for around $200 in working condition.

Polaroid SX 70 - Every Hipster Photographer Wants One of These.

Polaroid stopped making film for these a few years ago, along with all its instant film. Then in 2008, a group of 25 former Polaroid employees saved one of the last manufacturing plants in Germany and started making new instant films under the name Impossible Project and since then, the price of these cameras has increased. I picked this one up for $25 on the first day, and sold it on ebay 2 weeks later for $180. This was my first SX70 and since have bought and sold 3, each time fetching more. The last one I sold for $250. Since the film is now readily availably, albeit extremely expensive (8 exposures for $25 at the cheapest). If you see one of these in decent condition, untested you should get $100.

If You See Any of These no.22 Bulbs, Grab Them!

I picked up these bulbs, no.22s. I got a box of them for $20 and in the box there where about 50 bulbs in total. I found these in a basement, stuffed underneath a bench by an enlarger and some other darkroom equipment, They don't make these anymore. It was day 3 of a 3 day sale, and still nobody had snagged these. I sold them for $10-$15 per bulb. Somebody ended up buying the last 25 for $200.

My Best Score So Far - $35 Spent on a $4050 return

 These deals are not the ones you will find every day, however this is the score that got me really into estate sales. This was early 2010,  I scored a Nikon S2 with a 50mm f1.1 lens. I was just browsing a local estate sale that I went to at the request of my girlfriend. It wasn't the type of sale I would normally go to. Mostly furniture and I am mostly into vintage photographic equipment. We went on a saturday afternoon, this sale was at the end of day 2. When I first spotted it, I thought it might fetch a few hundred, boy was I surprised after I got home and did some research. I asked how much, he said $40 and I said, I'll give you $35, just out of sport I guess.

what other investment can you make 30 times your money?

Today I bought a couple of packs of Polaroid 600 instant film, each pack contains 10 exposures and they expired in 2002. Polaroid quit making this stuff about 3 years ago and since the price has been skyrocketing. I've bought and sold a few packs in the past and was pleasantly surprised at how much they go for. Last time they sold for $25, since then it looks like the price has risen. I bought them today for $1 per pack, that's a total of $2, I expect to sell them for $60 on ebay. That's $30 per pack. All for a few minutes of work, I was driving down the road, I noticed an estate sale, I stopped in, spent $2, listed them on ebay and now I wait for my $60. Not bad for a few minutes work.