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Meagher Tailboard camera

The Meagher tailboard camera is a 19th-century British wooden plate camera built on the tailboard pattern, in which the hinged baseboard folds down and the front standard runs on rails to focus the bellows. Cameras of this form were studio and field workhorses of the wet- and dry-plate era, intended for glass-plate negatives rather than roll film.

At recent UK auction, hammer prices for Meagher tailboard cameras have spanned roughly £74 to £380, with a median around £180 across the sales on file. The most recent result in our data sold for £275 in late 2025, indicating that today a clean, complete example in its original wood and brass is worth toward the upper end of that range, while rough or incomplete bodies sell for much less. Condition of the bellows, ground glass and lens fittings drives most of the price spread seen at saleroom level.

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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
Oct 2025 £275 Flints Auctions
Nov 2023 £362 Flints Auctions
Oct 2019 £384 Flints Auctions
Oct 2019 £456 Flints Auctions
Mar 2003 £176 Christie's
Jul 2002 £152 Christie's
Nov 2001 £129 Christie's
Jul 2001 £141 Christie's
Jul 2001 £117 Christie's
Jul 2001 £258 Christie's
Jul 2001 £129 Christie's
Aug 2000 £470 Christie's
May 2000 £376 Christie's
Jul 1999 £161 Christie's
Feb 1999 £74 Christie's

Other Meagher cameras