J. Lancaster & Son Gem Apparatus Multiple Lens Camera£3,087
12 Nov 2011 · Leitz Photographica Auction · €3,600 · lot AI_20_13013hammer ↗
+ lens
Lancaster Gem Apparatus
camera
The Lancaster Gem Apparatus has 1 recorded sale: £3,087 (12 Nov 2011, Leitz Photographica Auction). That is too few for a typical price.
Recorded sales
Only 1 sale — too few for a typical price, so here it is.
Sales onlyold
Hammer prices, buyer’s premium removed; eBay as soldHow ↗
What it is
{"overview":"The Lancaster Gem Apparatus is a 19th-century British plate camera produced by J. Lancaster & Son of Birmingham, a maker active in the late Victorian era. Because hammer prices reflect wholesale levels achieved at auction and exclude commission, a clean, complete example with original fittings would be expected to command a premium, while incomplete or damaged examples typically sell for considerably less.","buying_guide":"Inspect the woodwork for shrinkage, splits and missing veneer, check the bellows for light-tight condition, and confirm the brass lens, shutter and plate-holder fittings are present and original.
Generated summary, 29 Apr 2026 — not checked by hand; prices on this page come from the sales, not from this text.
Questions
Is the Lancaster Gem Apparatus a rare camera?
Auction appearances are infrequent, which is why the price evidence base is so limited and why condition and provenance tend to have an outsized effect on what each example sells for.
Facts
- Maker
- Lancaster
- Type
- camera
- Sales in the typical price
- 1
- First sale
- 12 Nov 2011
- Latest sale
- 12 Nov 2011
- Evidence
- Sales only · old
- Method
- v1
Cite this page
“Lancaster Gem Apparatus: 1 recorded sale, November 2011; no typical price (method v1).” cameraworth.com, retrieved 8 October 2026. https://www.cameraworth.com/l/lancaster/gem-apparatus/