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Thornton-pickardmfg. Co. Royal Ruby

The Thornton-Pickard Royal Ruby is a British wood-and-brass field camera from the Manchester maker Thornton-Pickard, produced for glass-plate photography in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. It sat at the upper end of the firm's Ruby line, aimed at serious amateur and professional plate photographers.

At recent UK auction, hammer prices for the Royal Ruby have ranged from about £350 to £900, with a median around £590 across the small pool of recorded sales — these figures are wholesale saleroom results rather than dealer retail. As of 2026, what a Royal Ruby is worth today depends heavily on completeness and cosmetic condition: examples with intact bellows, original lens and shutter, and a full set of plate holders sell for noticeably more than stripped or damaged bodies.

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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
Jun 2020 EUR 700 Leitz Auction
Oct 2017 £480 Flints Auctions
Oct 2017 £384 Flints Auctions
Nov 2014 EUR 900 Leitz Auction
May 2002 £352 Christie's

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