Kodak A Ordinary Kodak Camera
The Kodak "A Ordinary" is an early Eastman Kodak roll-film camera from the late nineteenth century, sold as a simple, factory-loaded box camera aimed at amateur users at a time when Kodak was establishing the consumer photography market. It is a collector's piece today rather than a working tool, valued for its place in the development of mass-market photography.
Auction evidence for this model is thin: only two UK hammer results are on file, at £690 in 1998 and £700 in 2010, giving a range of roughly £690–£700 at saleroom level (wholesale, before buyer's premium). With so few data points, what one of these cameras sells for today in 2026 depends heavily on completeness, original casing and provenance, and a fresh, well-catalogued example could move outside that band in either direction.
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.
Prices updated: February 2014
| Date | Price | Value GBP | Source | |
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| Feb 2014 | £1,500 | £1,500 | 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services (archive) | |
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Auction: Cameras and Photographic Equipment Auction on Thursday 13 February 2014 at 10:00 (Lot 38) Title: A Kodak Ordinary Model A Camera
Description:
A Kodak Ordinary Model A Camera, G, missing string release, pitting to brass, front panel professionally replaced Estimate: £1,600 - £2,000 |
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| May 2010 | EUR 700 | £600 | 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 17 (Lot AI_17_11389) Title: Model A Ordinary Kodak
Description:
the 'A' Ordinary Kodak was a darkroom-loaded, roll film box camera built from 1891-1895. It produced (24) 2 ¾ x 3¼" images. It is housed in a polished, natural finished wood box and has a string-set sector shutter, and exposure counter. There was no viewfinder on the 'A', having instead, V sighting lines pressed into the wood on the top surface. The shutter works. The area around the string pull has the normal fingernail marks. There is no "sink stopper" lens cap included. The camera sold for $6.00, a savings of $2.50 over the deluxe model. Billed as the "Young Folk's Kodak", the 1892 Kodak catalogue asserted that "any boy or girl, 10 years old or over, can readily learn to make the finest photographs". Estimate: EUR 1,400 - EUR 1,600 |
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| Dec 2009 | EUR 800 | £720 | 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 16 (Lot AI_16_19571) Title: Model A Ordinary Kodak
Description:
the "A" Ordinary Kodak was a darkroom-loaded, roll film box camera built from 1891-1895. It produced (24) 2 ¾ x 3¼" images. It is housed in a polished, natural finished wood box and has a string-set sector shutter, and exposure counter. There was no viewfinder on the "A," having instead, V sighting lines pressed into the wood on the top surface. The camera sold for $6.00, a savings of $2.50 over the deluxe model. Billed as the "Young Folk's Kodak", the 1892 Kodak catalogue asserted that "any boy or girl, 10 years old or over, can readily learn to make the finest photographs". The camera is now very hard to find in original condition. Estimate: EUR 1,600 - EUR 1,800 |
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| Jun 2008 | EUR 1,200 | £950 | 🇦🇹 Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 13 (Lot AI_13_17083) Title: Model A Ordinary Kodak
Description:
the "A" Ordinary Kodak was a darkroom-loaded, roll film box camera built from 1891-1895. It produced (24) 2 ¾ x 3¼" images. It is housed in a polished, natural finished wood box and has a string-set sector shutter, and exposure counter. There was no viewfinder on the "A," having instead, V sighting lines pressed into the wood on the top surface. The shutter works. The leather pull for the front access panel has been replaced and the area around the string pull has the normal fingernail marks. There is no "sink stopper" lens cap included. The camera sold for $6.00, a savings of $2.50 over the deluxe model. Billed as the "Young Folk's Kodak", the 1892 Kodak catalogue asserted that "any boy or girl, 10 years old or over, can readily learn to make the finest photographs". Estimate: EUR 1,600 - EUR 2,000 |
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| Oct 2005 | £500 | £500 | 🇬🇧 Bonhams | |
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Auction: The Tobias Camera & Magic Lantern Collection (Lot 117) Title: "A" Ordinary Kodak by The Eastman Company Rochester N.Y. U.S.A., polished wood body, No. 1866 for twenty four 2 3/4 x 3 1/4 inch pictures on rollfilm with string-set shutter.
Description:
By The Eastman Company Rochester N.Y. U.S.A., polished wood body, No. 1866 for twenty four 2 3/4 x 3 1/4 inch pictures on rollfilm with string-set shutter. Re: Coe, Kodak Cameras. (1978) The First Hundred Years p. 24-25. See illustration Estimate: £650 - £750 |
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| Mar 2003 | £1,175 | £1,000 | 🇬🇧 Christie's | |
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Auction: CAMERAS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT (Lot 403) Title: Ordinary Kodak A no. 1028
Description:
Ordinary Kodak A no. 1028 Estimate: £1,500 - £2,000 |
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| Jan 1998 | £690 | £600 | 🇬🇧 Christie's | |
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Auction: CAMERAS AND OPTICAL TOYS (Lot 396) Title: A Ordinary Kodak no. 1218
Description:
A Ordinary Kodak no. 1218 Estimate: £800 - £1,200 |
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Frequently asked questions
What is an Ordinary Kodak camera worth today?
On the limited UK auction record available, examples have sold for around £690 to £700 at hammer, so that band is the best available guide to current value, with condition and originality shifting the price within and around it.
How much does an Ordinary Kodak camera sell for at auction?
The two recorded UK hammer sales are £690 in 1998 and £700 in 2010, both before buyer's premium, which gives a working price reference of roughly £690–£700 for comparable examples.
Is the Ordinary Kodak a good collector's camera?
It is collected for its early Kodak heritage rather than for use, and the small number of auction appearances suggests it is a relatively scarce piece that tends to attract specialist photographic-history buyers.