Bellieni Strut-Folding Camera (wooden)
The Bellieni Strut-Folding Camera is a wooden-bodied strut-folding plate camera from the early era of French photographic manufacture. It belongs to the class of compact folding plate cameras that opened on scissor-strut mechanisms rather than bellows rails, aimed at photographers who wanted a pocketable field camera.
At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the Bellieni Strut-Folding Camera (wooden) have ranged from £300 to £420, with a midpoint around £360 based on the limited saleroom record available today. These are wholesale-level results, and the narrow dataset means what the camera is worth at any given sale depends heavily on cosmetic condition of the wood, completeness of the strut mechanism, and whether original plate holders are present.
Sales History
Prices shown are UK auction hammer results — the wholesale level achieved in the saleroom. Neither buyer’s nor seller’s commission is included. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher.
Prices updated: January 2026
| Date | Price | Source | |
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| Jan 2026 | £62 | Flints Auctions | |
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Auction: Cameras & Scientific Instruments (Lot 299) Title: A Bellieni Strut Folding 9x12cm Camera
Description:
dark green, body F-G, shutter working, red bellows have been black-taped, with Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar f/6.3 15cm lens, optics G Note: A 5% import VAT |
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| Dec 2009 | EUR 300 | Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 16 (Lot AI_16_19347) Title: Bellieni Strut-Folding Camera
Description:
for 10x15cm exposures, red leather bellows, large folding viewfinder, Som Berthiot Flor 4.5/165mm no.122214 in good working Compur shutter, rare camera Estimate: EUR 500 - EUR 600 |
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| Dec 2009 | EUR 460 | Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 16 (Lot AI_16_19346) Title: Bellieni Strut-Folding Camera
Description:
13x18cm, mahogany body, red leather bellows, with Carl Zeiss Jena Anastigmat 7.2/195mm no.15801 (cap), maker's plaque: Instruments de Precision H. BELLIENI Fils 17, place de L'Academie NANCY Medaille D'or Paris 1889, with focusing screen, waist-level finder, Thornton-Pickard shutter with cable release, double-film holder Estimate: EUR 800 - EUR 1,000 |
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| May 2007 | EUR 420 | Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 11 (Lot AI_11_16375) Title: Bellieni Folding Strut Camera
Description:
9x12cm, mahogany body, red leather bellows, with Krauss/Zeiss Anastigmat 8/136mm, BELLIENI plaque, in fine condition Estimate: EUR 800 - EUR 1,000 |
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Frequently asked questions
What is a Bellieni Strut-Folding Camera (wooden) worth today?
Based on recorded UK auction hammer results, examples have sold in the £300–£420 range, so a clean, complete camera is worth around the upper end of that band.
How much does a Bellieni Strut-Folding Camera sell for at auction?
The two recorded sales price it between £300 and £420 at the hammer, though with so few data points the value of any individual example can sit outside that range depending on condition.
What affects the price of a wooden Bellieni folder?
Condition of the wood and struts, working shutter, and the presence of original plate holders are the main factors that move the price within the observed range.