A CAMERA specialist is aiming to put people in the picture with free valuations in Lichfield.
Stuart Hay will be at The Auction Cafe on Market Street between 10am and 12.30pm on 20th February.
The technology and music specialist with Richard Winterton Auctioneers will also be appraising pens, records, hi-fi and musical items.
He said:
“Cameras, lenses and optical equipment ranging from antique to modern are of interest to bidders all over the world.
“Collectors are always on the lookout for brands such as Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei, Zeiss, Reid and Sigrist, Canon, Nikon and Mamiya.
“Olympus, Zenza Bronica, Kodak, Pentax, Voigtlander, Swarovski and mahogany and brass plate cameras perform well at auction too.
“There’s also a strong market for scientific instruments and optical technology from all eras, whether vintage or modern, such as microscopes, telescopes and binoculars. For example, a brass travelling microscope set from the early 19th century made £3,000 at auction, but then modern Zeiss binoculars will also attract a lot of interest.”
Pens and writing implements are another strong collectors’ market, with Stuart explaining that popular names including Montblanc, Sheaffer, Swan, Dunhill, Waterman, Parker, Platinum, Mabie Todd, Montegrappa, Cross, Pilot and Namiki were in demand.
Music will also be on Stuart’s radar at the free valuation event. He said:
“Records by artists such as Slade, Black Sabbath, Queen and Pink Floyd have fetched hundreds of pounds at auction recently, with original vinyl by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones remaining extremely collectable.
“With the resurgence of vinyl over the past decade, quality vintage and modern turntables, stereos, reel-to-reel players, speakers and amplifiers are in demand.
“Brands to watch out for include Thorens, Garrard, Goldring Lenco, Micro Seiki, Leak, Naim, Linn Audio, Bang and Olufsen, Quad, Luxman, Tannoy, Bose, Mission, Tascam, Revox and Linn.”
“If your collection or item is too big to bring along, take some photographs and get as much information together as possible and we will still do our best to help.”