Underwood Tailboard Camera
The Underwood Tailboard Camera is a wooden field camera of the tailboard pattern, a body style produced in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries for plate photography. Underwood, a Birmingham-based maker, supplied this kind of camera to amateur and professional plate photographers of the period.
Public auction data for this model is extremely thin: the only recorded UK saleroom hammer result is £126 at Christie's in 1998, which gives a single historical reference point rather than a current market value. With no recent comparables, what an Underwood Tailboard Camera is worth today depends heavily on completeness, the presence of original brass fittings and a lens, and overall woodwork condition, and individual examples can sell for materially more or less than that 1998 figure when they next appear at auction.
Sales History
Prices shown are realised prices — auction results and completed eBay sales, never asking prices. Most saleroom figures are hammer prices, before commission; some houses publish a premium-inclusive figure, and we do not adjust for condition. Dealer and retail asking prices are typically higher. How this figure is calculated.
Based on 4 recorded sales — indicative only.
Most recent sale: June 2016.
| Date | Price | Value GBP | Source | |
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| Jun 2016 | £100 | £100 | 🇬🇧 Special Auction Services (archive) | |
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Auction: Express Camera, Music & Entertainment Auction Thursday 16th June 2016 at 10:00 (Lot 192) Title: Underwood Tailboard Camera
Description:
Underwood Tailboard Camera, Instanto half plate model with Underwood lens Estimate: £70 - £100 |
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| May 2006 | £540 | £450 | 🇬🇧 Christie's | |
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Auction: Cameras, Magic Lanterns and Photographs (Lot 300) Title: Tailboard stereo camera
Description:
Tailboard stereo camera Estimate: £250 - £350 |
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| Mar 1999 | £161 | £140 | 🇬🇧 Christie's | |
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Auction: Cameras and Optical Toys (Lot 316) Title: Tailboard camera
Description:
Tailboard camera Estimate: £25 - £200 |
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| Jun 1998 | £126 | £110 | 🇬🇧 Christie's | |
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Auction: CAMERAS AND OPTICAL TOYS (Lot 633) Title: Tailboard camera
Description:
Tailboard camera Estimate: £20 - £150 |
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Frequently asked questions
What is an Underwood Tailboard Camera worth today?
Verified UK auction data is limited to a single 1998 hammer price of £126, so there is no reliable current market value; condition, completeness and the fitted lens will drive what any given example sells for.
How much does an Underwood Tailboard Camera sell for at auction?
The only recorded UK auction hammer result in our data is £126 from Christie's in 1998, and that figure excludes buyer's and seller's commission.
Is the price quoted a retail value?
No. The figure is a saleroom hammer result — a wholesale level achieved at auction — not a dealer asking price or insurance value.