{"overview":"The Taylor, Taylor & Hobson 6 Inch f\/2.8 Cooke Copying Lens is a large-format copying optic with a 152mm focal length and a fast f\/2.8 maximum aperture, made by the historic Leicester optical firm best known for its Cooke-branded designs. Lenses of this type were produced for technical reproduction work — copying documents, artwork and process photography — rather than general pictorial use, and they are typically supplied as bare cells or in industrial barrels rather than standard camera mounts.","market_narrative":"Sales evidence for this specific Cooke copying lens is thin: the only recorded UK auction hammer result we have is £60 in November 2025, which sets the only firm wholesale data point in today's market. With a single saleroom result, there is no meaningful range or median to quote, and any sense of what a clean copy is worth at auction will move significantly with condition, completeness and whether the lens is mounted in a usable barrel. Buyers researching what one sells for should treat this figure as indicative only and watch further auction listings before committing.","buying_guide":"Inspect the glass carefully for fungus, haze and cleaning marks, as copying lenses often spent decades in studios and labs where humidity and dust were common. Check the iris for oil on the aperture blades and confirm the diaphragm opens and closes smoothly, look for signs of element separation (edge discolouration or rainbow patches) and coating scratches, and make sure any focusing or barrel threads turn cleanly without grit or stiffness. Confirm the mounting arrangement matches your intended use, since these lenses are usually sold as cells or in industrial barrels rather than ready-to-fit camera mounts.","specs":"Key specifications recorded for this lens are a 6 inch (approximately 152mm) focal length and an f\/2.8 maximum aperture, sold under Taylor, Taylor & Hobson's Cooke branding as a copying lens.","faq":[{"q":"What is a Taylor, Taylor & Hobson 6 Inch f\/2.8 Cooke Copying Lens worth at UK auction?","a":"The only recorded UK auction hammer price in our data is £60, achieved in November 2025, so the current evidence base for its value is a single sale rather than an established range."},{"q":"How much does a 6 Inch f\/2.8 Cooke Copying Lens sell for today?","a":"On the limited evidence available, one example sold for £60 hammer at UK auction in late 2025; with only one data point the price a clean copy would fetch today is uncertain and condition-dependent."},{"q":"Is this Cooke lens designed for general photography?","a":"No — it is a copying lens, designed for reproduction work such as photographing documents and artwork at close to 1:1, rather than for pictorial or portrait use."},{"q":"What should I check before buying one?","a":"Look for fungus, haze, separation and coating damage in the glass, oil on the aperture blades, and smooth iris and barrel operation, and confirm the mounting will actually fit the camera or copy stand you plan to use."}],"confidence":30,"reasoning":"Confidence is low because SPECS and variants are empty and SALES HISTORY contains only a single unverified auction record, leaving little firm ground for pricing or detailed specification claims."}