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Posted by James Rockford on July 15, 2001 at 01:34:22:
In Reply to: Bilora Tripod Antique? posted by southtexaslady On Ebay on July 14, 2001 at 14:04:09:
: Hello,
: I am trying to find out what my BILORA tripod is worth in USA
Dollars.
: Markings:
: Looks like a "N" ( with a small "&" )
and "K" within a circle.
: It has the letters D.R.P. engraved on the top just to the left
of the circle mentioned above. Maybe someone's initials?
: Has BILORA in capital letters engraved in the top also.
: Says MADE IN GERMANY
: Three black legs that telescope out with ( 6 parts that click
and snap into place.) Look like copper to me. "feet"
that will stick in the ground and actually screw on and off.
: Stands about 40" tall when fully expanded.
: Where could I get it appraised?
: Thanks,
: jade
: TEXAS USA
Whoa, Jade, get ahold of yourself before you start spending that money you are not going to make.
Lack of photo equipment knowledge is a serious handicap for someone trying to sell camera equipment on eBay. The "rare and special" hype used to promote many ordinary items on eBay is one reason knowledgeable buyers prefer online dealers who own brick and mortar camera stores.
What makes you think the Bilora tripod is valuable? Because it's made in Germany? Because you've never heard of Bilora? Because it's old? Five minutes spent looking at the resources on this web site (ACE Index) would answer part of your question.
A tripod is a photo accessory. In the index for manufacturers of photo and video accessories http://www.acecam.com/cr6index.html you'll find a link to Bilora. If you look in the German manufacturers index, you'll find another link to Bilora. http://www.acecam.com/germany2.html Bilora is alive and well in Germany and has been making tripods with black legs since 1905. (You'd learn this from the ACE description for Bilora or read it in German on the Bilora web site.) While Germany is known for fine camera equipment, Germany also has produced its share of photographic turkeys. A Bilora tripod is good equipment but it's not a Leica camera or a Zeiss lens. Remember also that Germany makes Gummi-Bears. :-)
Many tripods have feet which give the owner a choice of spikes to anchor the tripod or rubber feet to avoid damaging polished floors. Nothing special in that feature whatsoever,
You mention seeing copper. It's much more likely what you see is a brass alloy - a common material used in older camera equipment. Because you can see the shiny metal, this is called "brassing" which means some black enamel finish has worn off. Brassing is definitely a minus when it comes to determining value for a piece of collectible camera equipment.
Engraving one's initials, name or social security number into camera equipment further reduces the value of any collectible photographic item.
A tripod only 40 inches tall when fully extended is not very useful for most photographers, except perhaps backpackers and hikers. The collapsible telescoping legs you describe won't hold the weight of most SLRs with long lenses. This suggests the tripod was made before the 1960s. You can look at various pictures of Bilora tripods through the years and perhaps date your item that way. Here's the page http://www.bilora.de/alt_Meilensteine_d.htm
You can always have the item appraised in person at any used camera store. Most commonly you will be charged for the appraisal.
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