Kodak A Ordinary Kodak Camera
The Kodak "A Ordinary" is an early Eastman Kodak roll-film camera from the late nineteenth century, sold as a simple, factory-loaded box camera aimed at amateur users at a time when Kodak was establishing the consumer photography market. It is a collector's piece today rather than a working tool, valued for its place in the development of mass-market photography.
Auction evidence for this model is thin: only two UK hammer results are on file, at £690 in 1998 and £700 in 2010, giving a range of roughly £690–£700 at saleroom level (wholesale, before buyer's premium). With so few data points, what one of these cameras sells for today in 2026 depends heavily on completeness, original casing and provenance, and a fresh, well-catalogued example could move outside that band in either direction.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2010 | EUR 700 | Leitz Auction | |
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Auction: Leitz Auction 17 (Lot AI_17_11389) Title: Model A Ordinary Kodak
Description:
the 'A' Ordinary Kodak was a darkroom-loaded, roll film box camera built from 1891-1895. It produced (24) 2 ¾ x 3¼" images. It is housed in a polished, natural finished wood box and has a string-set sector shutter, and exposure counter. There was no viewfinder on the 'A', having instead, V sighting lines pressed into the wood on the top surface. The shutter works. The area around the string pull has the normal fingernail marks. There is no "sink stopper" lens cap included. The camera sold for $6.00, a savings of $2.50 over the deluxe model. Billed as the "Young Folk's Kodak", the 1892 Kodak catalogue asserted that "any boy or girl, 10 years old or over, can readily learn to make the finest photographs". Estimate: EUR 1,400 - EUR 1,600 |
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| Jan 1998 | £690 | Christie's | |
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Auction: CAMERAS AND OPTICAL TOYS (Lot 396) Title: A Ordinary Kodak no. 1218
Description:
A Ordinary Kodak no. 1218 Estimate: £800 - £1,200 |
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