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Lancaster Gem Apparatus

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. It belongs to the wood-and-brass plate-camera tradition and was sold as a compact apparatus for amateur photographers of the period.

Sales data for the Gem Apparatus is extremely thin, with only one UK auction hammer result on record at £3,600 in 2011, so any sense of what one is worth today rests on that single saleroom data point rather than a settled market range. 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.

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.

Date Price Source
Nov 2011 EUR 3,600 Leitz Auction