CameraWorth.com

Swift & Son Tailboard Camera

The Swift & Son Tailboard Camera is a wooden field camera of the tailboard pattern, a body style common in late-19th and early-20th century British plate photography. Cameras of this kind were used with glass plates and brass-barrel lenses, and were positioned as portable studio and field equipment in their day.

With only a single recorded UK auction hammer result — £204 in 2017 — there is not enough data to draw a reliable price band for what a Swift & Son Tailboard Camera is worth today. That figure reflects a wholesale saleroom level rather than a retail asking price, and condition of the bellows, woodwork, and any fitted lens will heavily influence what a comparable example sells for. Buyers researching value in 2026 should treat the £204 result as an indicative data point rather than a market median.

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 2017 £204 Flints Auctions