Faller Ferrotype
The Faller Ferrotype is a 19th-century French direct-positive camera designed to produce ferrotype (tintype) images on thin iron plates coated with collodion emulsion. As a wet-plate-era apparatus, it sits firmly in the early-photography collector category rather than among general-use cameras.
Auction evidence for the Faller Ferrotype is extremely thin: the only recorded UK saleroom hammer price in our dataset is £3,600 from November 2016, so today in 2026 any value figure should be treated as indicative rather than a reliable median. Because only one result is on file, it is not possible to give a meaningful range for what a Faller Ferrotype is worth or sells for at auction, and condition, completeness of the original fittings, and provenance will heavily influence the next price achieved.
Sales History
Prices shown are realised prices — auction results and completed eBay sales, never asking prices. Most saleroom figures are hammer prices, before commission; some houses publish a premium-inclusive figure, and we do not adjust for condition. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher. How this figure is calculated.
Based on 3 recorded sales — indicative only.
Most recent sale: November 2016.
| Date | Price | Value GBP | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2016 | EUR 3,600 | £3,128 | 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 29 (Lot AI_29_33620) Title: Faller Ferrotype Camera
Description:
rare tintype Camera 'Le Forain Automatique C' of the French manufacturer Faller, Paris for 3x4 cm prints, in excellent original condition, two-piece wooden body with nickel fittings, unmarked lens with rack and pinion focusing with flap shutter and cable release, located in the upper section of the camera is the magazine for the unexposed tintypes which are individually pushed through a special mechanism in the lower section. After being exposed they fall in the developing tank. Since street cameras usually were used for decades, such a well-preserved example is hard to find! Estimate: EUR 1,600 - EUR 2,000 |
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| May 2011 | EUR 2,600 | £2,282 | 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 19 (Lot AI_19_12835) Title: Faller Ferrotypie-Kamera
Description:
Rare tintype camera 'Le Forain Automatique C' of the French manufacturer Faller, Paris for 3x4 cm prints, in good original condition, two-piece wooden case with nickel, aluminium and brass fittings, unmarked lens with rack and pinion focusing, located in the upper section of the camera is the magazine for the unexposed tintypes which are individually pushed through a special mechanism in the lower section. After being exposed they fall in the developing tank (missing). Since street cameras usually were used for decades, such a well-preserved example is hard to find! Estimate: EUR 1,600 - EUR 2,000 |
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| Dec 2009 | EUR 1,900 | £1,709 | 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 16 (Lot AI_16_19351) Title: Faller Ferrotype Camera
Description:
Rare tintype Camera 'Le Forain Automatique C' of the French manufacturer Faller, Paris for 3x4 cm prints, in good original condition, two-piece wooden case with nickel, aluminium and brass fittings, unmarked lens with rack and pinion focusing, located in the upper section of the camera is the magazine for the unexposed tintypes which are individually pushed through a special mechanism in the lower section. After being exposed they fall in the developing tank (missing). included a copy of the instructions and the manual 'La Ferrotypie' by L. Tranchant (both in French), a postcard from 1908 with a glued-in tintype portrait and a 3-fold portrait of a mother with her two sons. Since street cameras usually were used for decades, such a well-preserved example is hard to find! Estimate: EUR 1,600 - EUR 2,000 |
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Frequently asked questions
What is a Faller Ferrotype worth today?
Only one UK auction hammer result is on record — £3,600 in 2016 — so the price a Faller Ferrotype sells for now depends almost entirely on condition and completeness, and a current value cannot be reliably estimated from a single data point.
How much does a Faller Ferrotype sell for at auction?
With just one recorded saleroom result of £3,600, there is insufficient data to quote a typical price range; collectors should treat any figure as indicative until further comparable sales are recorded.
Is the Faller Ferrotype a usable camera?
It is a wet-plate-era ferrotype camera and is collected as a historical object; using it requires sourcing iron plates and mixing collodion chemistry, which is a specialist undertaking.