Holy Grail (The miniature version)

The Compass Camera was manufactured by the Swiss watch-makers Le Coultre et Cie for the Compass Cameras Ltd., based in London. It was conceived and designed by Noel Pemberton Billing, an airman and Member of Parliament. The camera was launched in March 1937, and it was at least available in London until 1941.

‘Compass: the embodiment of scientific system in miniature cameras. Built like a watch – as simple to use.’
- Advertisement, 1938

Holy Grail

"...In the mid-1930s, a legendary soft-focus lens, the Thambar 90mm f2.2 was designed, and made in small numbers between 1935 and 1949, no more than 3000 units. It is a rare collector's item today."

Holy Grail (The cut throat edition)

"...Wilkinson-Latham contacted Charles Rose, head of the experimental workshop at Wilkinson Sword Company's factory in Southfield Road, Acton, London W3. He charged Rose, and the firm's foreman   grinder, Mr. Martin, with the task of producing three prototype Fairbairn-Sykes knives.

Of these three prototypes, one is known to survive. Fairbairn kept it with him until the day of his death. From 1942 to 1960, he carried it in an OSS All-Ways scabbard. This scabbard, known among OSS trainees as the "pancake flapper," was designed by Fairbairn for the OSS and manufactured in the United States.

Wishing to spare the collector the nuisance of counterfeits, we will omit giving a detailed description of this prototype, save to say that it has distinctive features in common with the other two prototypes.

Of the two remaining specimens, one was presented to Sykes and is presumed lost. The other was retained by the factory. It was, in time, given to Wilkinson-Latham's grandson, Robert, when the latter was eleven years old. A year later, Robert traded it to a school chum for a bayonet. We may set our fancy to work, and imagine this unique specimen resting in the collection of some fortunate, although unknowing, knife collector."

Holy Grail (The too late edition)

Lot #821: James Dean's Rolleiflex Camera, Tripod and Case Circa 1954

"This was James Dean's Rolleiflex camera, tripod and case that was given to him by his close friend and photography instructor Roy Schatt while he was learning photography. The famed photographer, responsible for the iconic photographs he took of Dean in 1954, including the "Torn Sweater" series, was Dean's friend and teacher in the last year and a half of Dean's life. At that time Schatt loaned this camera equipment to Dean and he can be seen with the camera here in one of Schatt's famous shots of Dean at the Dakota in New York City. Walking with Schatt and actor/friend Martin Landau, Dean jumped over a rail in front of the Dakota and Roy took this photograph of Dean photographing them. These images and details of the close friendship between Schatt and Dean can be found in Schatt's famed book "James Dean, A Portrait" which accompanies this lot. The camera and accessories come from Roy Schatt's family and a letter from the family accompanies this lot."

Estimate:                                                              $6,000-$8,000
Minimum Bid:                                                    $1,000
Final Bid (Includes Buyers Premium):     $5,026.80
Number of bids:                                                 5
Ended:                                                                  10.16.2010

Well, too late.

Holy Grail

"1949 -50 TSVVS - A remarkable camera taking the Contax bayonet mount and Leica body to produce a hybrid camera. Produced in very small numbers for presentation to senior officers in the Topographic Service of the army air force known as the TSVVS. A much modified Fed with brass body rather than aluminium fitted with a genuine Contax bayonet mount Carl Zeiss Sonnar f1.5 or f2 50mm lens taken as spoils of war from the Zeiss factory at Jena. Again a lot of fakes in circulation. The true origin of the TSVVS camera is still unknown. Two major circulating theories are that the camera has either been manufactured at Moscow's Almaz factory or it had been ordered for manufacture by the Soviets from East Germany (possibly Zeiss, but it is also not confirmed). This camera is probably the most mysterious in nature out of all Soviet cameras. An old belief that this camera was made by FED factory is disputed by the fact that the body is wholly made out of brass and it is different dimensions physically than the FED-1 cameras..."

Holy Grail

Especially for the North American market, a special edition of the Rollei C 35 with an artificial leather covering in traffic-red, yellow-orange, deer-brown, steel-blue and white was produced, counting 100 items for each color. But as these test samples did not cause much interest, they were not quoted in any price list.

Holy Grail (the somehow sinister edition)

"Two climbers, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, lost on Everest in 1924, may have been the first to reach the summit. Another member of the expedition has been quoted as saying that he had loaned his Kodak VPK camera to Mallory as they passed each other on the north ridge. There are and extensive efforts underway using current technology to locate Irvine's body and perhaps, the camera."

Holy Grail (the camera that came from the cold)

The FED 'Siberia' is a standard FED, modified with large nobs to enable it to be used whilst wearing gloves.

The authenticity of this camera is sometimes questioned. Because counterfeiting is rife in Russia any really rare FED such as the Siberia, TSVVS and the FED-V must be assumed to be a fake. The FED S is more likely to be real because to fake one you need a rare lens and a body with 1000 speed. The price that could be realized for a FED S will not cover the effort to fake one,The Zorki red banner of Labor, the Siberia and Yura must also be assumed to be a fake. Even an expert can only verify that it may be original. Some items such as the FED Stalinets and Stemar copy are known to all be fakes.

In many cases even an expert can only say "this appears to be original" because only 1 or 2 of the model have been seen.

Holy Grail

"... as for the Maxim, last of the Corfield 35 mm cameras, a mere six prototypes were produced, of which only one is still known to be in existence."

Holy Grail

"... There was even a Start-​3 pro­to­type, about which we know next to noth­ing. Ap­par­ent­ly it was sold on the black mar­ket, and can now be had for an as­tro­nom­i­cal price at the Leica Shop Wien..."

Holy Grail

"In total, 12 modified Hasselblad 500EL fitted with Zeiss lenses were left on the moon between 1969 and 1972. Only their film magazines were brought back to Earth. In fact they are still there now, somewhere in the Sea of Tranquillity..."

"The 1958 world fair in Brus­sels not only gave us the Atom­i­um, but also Grand Prix Brus­sels 1958 lens­es. It also gave us the Kometa, KMZ's spe­cial­ly built hy­per­mod­ern rangefind­er cam­era in the league of Leica's M3, of which two pro­to­types were taken to Brus­sels that van­ished soon there­after..."