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Lancaster Instantograph

The Lancaster Instantograph is a late-Victorian British plate camera produced by J. Lancaster & Son of Birmingham. Built in mahogany and brass with a bellows and a simple lens-shutter arrangement, it was marketed in the 1880s and 1890s as an affordable field camera for amateur photographers of the period.

At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the Lancaster Instantograph have sat in a fairly tight band of roughly £150–£220, with a median close to £180 across the Christie's results on file. The sample is small and the sales on record date back a number of years, so today's price a clean, complete example sells for can swing with condition of the bellows, brasswork and any original lens or plate holders; incomplete or tatty outfits are worth noticeably less than the range above.

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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 2022 EUR 850 Leitz Auction
Sep 2020 £140 David Duggleby
Sep 2005 £180 Christie's
Sep 2005 £84 Christie's
Sep 2005 £108 Christie's
Nov 2004 £262 Christie's
Jul 2002 £164 Christie's
Sep 2001 £223 Christie's
Sep 1999 £218 Christie's
Feb 1999 £149 Christie's
Jan 1999 £218 Christie's

Other Lancaster cameras