# Help identifying this Thornton Pickard camera set?



## xenoyia (Mar 8, 2015)

Hello, I picked up an antique Thornton Pickard camera today, for £130. I can't find much information on it at all, even the woman I bought it from had no clue what it was. Here's a series of photos:







The case it came in, empty. Supposedly the 'original' case, on the top it has 'C.540' stamped in white, with a thornton pickard emblem on the inside of the top.






The three boxes that were in the case, each one contains a set of metal (somewhat oxidised) plates, these boxes can slot into two different locations on the camera. All I've learned from testing it out is that having both slots filled with these boxes and pulling the camera's lever moves one metal plate out of a box and puts it into the other.






Top-down view of the camera with a box attached to the left side.






My cat is just as interested as I am.






The case, with all bits inside.






Closed case.

Any help guys?


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## tirediron (Mar 8, 2015)

It's an early aerial camera, probably WWI-ish vintage, and looks like it might be worth a bit, however yours seems  to be missing a lens.  There's lots of information about them on-line.

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## Derrel (Mar 8, 2015)

Of course the cat is interested--this is a set of BOXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boxes, dude--BOXES!!!! Cats loooove boxes!

And who knew that camera was so valuable!


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## xenoyia (Mar 8, 2015)

tirediron said:


> It's an early aerial camera, probably WWI-ish vintage, and looks like it might be worth a bit, however yours seems  to be missing a lens.  There's lots of information about them on-line.
> 
> 1
> 2



That's interesting! I figured it was WW1-era. The woman I bought it from said it's been sitting in her attic for a LONG time and she's never seen a lens with it, so I don't know.


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## gsgary (Mar 8, 2015)

It's a shame the pigeon didn't come with it
The Intrepid Pigeoneers Damn Interesting


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