The Lancaster Meritoire is a late-Victorian British field camera produced by J. Lancaster & Son of Birmingham, a maker known for mahogany and brass plate cameras of the period. It was sold as a wet- or dry-plate instrument aimed at amateur and travelling photographers when new.

Sales data for the Meritoire is thin, but the two recorded UK auction hammer results — wholesale saleroom levels rather than dealer retail — came in at £149 and £164, giving a narrow range around £150–£160 and a midpoint near £157. As of today in 2026, realised prices at auction for early Lancaster wood-and-brass cameras remain highly condition-sensitive, so what a Meritoire sells for depends heavily on bellows integrity, completeness of the lens and plate holders, and the state of the original finish.