Stirn Vest Camera (4 exposures, 6.5cm dia)

{"overview":"The Stirn Vest Camera is a 19th-century German detective camera designed to be worn beneath a waistcoat, with the lens protruding through a buttonhole for concealed picture-taking. This particular variant exposed four circular images, each approximately 6.5 cm in diameter, onto a rotating dry plate. With no recent data points it is not possible to give a current price range for today's market with any confidence, and what a Stirn Vest Camera is worth in 2026 will depend heavily on completeness, plate condition and provenance. Specialist photographica auctions remain the realistic venue, and values for early concealed cameras of this type can swing widely depending on condition.","buying_guide":"Inspect the wooden body and string-cocking mechanism for cracks, warping and missing fittings, and check that the rotating plate carrier indexes correctly between exposures. The simple meniscus-style optic and shutter should be present and undamaged, and original carrying components add value.

Generated summary, 29 Apr 2026 — not checked by hand; prices on this page come from the sales, not from this text.