Sunday, April 29, 2007

I Found Another Camera

I frequently browse the postings on Columbus' Craigslist page, and other cities pages from around the state. I usually check out the computer, electronic, free, and photography sections. Most of them time there's either nothing I want, things that are too expensive, or just plain old junk. Well, this particular day happened to be my lucky day I guess...

There was a posting for a Minolta SLR camera for $10.00. I called the number, and the gentleman explained to me that his girlfriends sister was into photography and had given them her old camera. She claimed it had a light leak and wasn't worth keeping. I asked him if the camera was broken, and he said that it wasn't and that he had been using it to shoot some film himself. He said it was a camera, two lenses, a flash, and a bag. I of course jumped on this deal. When I picked it up and brought it home, this is what I found!

The first thing it had was the bag. It was a fairly nice blue and gray "Stars and Stripes" brand camera bag with a shoulder strap. The camera was a Minolta XG-1 with the MD Rokkor-X 45mm 1:2 standard lens. From everything I've read, this is a fairly good lens for the price. The lens also had a Mitakon lens cap. It had a second lens with it, this was a Vivatar Series 1 Macro Focusing 28-90mm 1:2.8-3.5 lens. The lens seems to work very nicely. It also came with a nice Vivatar Electronic Flash 2000. This flash is wonderful. It's not the best, but it is a flash I plan on using with quite a few of my other cameras. I really like it.

So, not too bad of a find for $10.00. Since then I've found a few more neat things to add to this blog. So stay tuned, and until next time...HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!

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Posted by Izateddy at 11:09 PM | | Comments

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Camera 2

So, like I said in the last post, I've got a few more new cameras I found for a steal! In this post I'll talk about the first one. While I was visiting some friends in the Dayton area, we decided to hit up a few garage sales and yard sales. I never thought I'd find a deal like this at a garage sale! Sitting on a table was this brown leather bag, it looked like an older camera bag, so I picked it up to check it out. When I picked the bag up it was heavy, so I figured that they must have been using it to hold something, but I never imagined it would contain a camera since the price tag on the top was only $5.00! But when I unzipped the bag, there was an old Canon Pellix SLR camera with tons of accessories. Without looking through the bag, I paid the nice people the five bucks and headed to the car with my prize. Once I got home I pulled it all out to see what this brown leather treasure box contained. Here's what I found inside:


1) Leather Camera Bag "The Kamera Bag" Brand

-Zippered enclosure, from clasp closing pocket, and a shoulder strap


2) Leather Canon Camera Body and 50mm Lens Case


3) Canon Pellix SLR Camera

- The Pellix was first marketed in 1965. It was Canon's first 35mm Focal-Plane Shutter SLR Camera with TTL metering. It was also the first commercial production SLR that was incorporated with a fixed Pellicle mirror. It employed with a super-thin, a semi-transparent film only 20/1000 mm thick was used as a fixed mirror.


4) Canon Lens FL 50mm 1:1.4

- Tiffen 58mm haze filter

- Canon Lens Cap (Metal)

- Canon Camera Strap


5) Spiratone Pluracoat Zoom/Macro 1:3.8 f=35-105mm

- Promaster Spectrum 7 67mm UV Filter

- Promaster Lens Cap (Plastic)


6) Vivitar 151 Flash

- External Power Cord

- Leather Vivitar Case


It also had a few other random things in the bag. An old Kodak Measuring Cup for developing your own photos. I have a feeling from the looks of the glass that it is much older then the camera. There was also a new Kalimar photo squeegee, some photo tongs, and a photo roller. So for five bucks I don't think I did too bad for myself! Stay tuned to hear about another awesome camera find from right here in Columbus off of Craigslist! Until next time...HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!

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Posted by Izateddy at 2:37 AM | | Comments

Thursday, April 19, 2007

A Box of Books

So I have another item of interest. And from the title of the blog you can tell it has something to do with books. Yes, that means I also have a "collection" of books. I love reading and learning, and what better way to do either of those things than read? Well, I was in Cincinnati last weekend at my girlfriends house, and I was helping her parents clear some things out of their basement for a garage sale. We came across this big box of books that they wanted to get rid of. Since her parents know I love books, they offered the box to me. They said take what I wanted, and I could donate the rest to Goodwill or something. So I brought the box home and hadn't looked through it until the other day. There wasn't anything super rare or spectacular in the box, but there were a few items of interest.


For the most part, the box was full of old cookbooks, but there were a few other books in the box. But to my surprise, the most interesting books in the box were cook books! Out of about 50 or so books, the top three for me were these...


1) Boston Cooking-School Cook Book

By: Fannie Merritt Farmer

- This book is the Revised Edition, and was published in Boston, MA by Little, Brown, and Company in 1922. So this book is almost 100 years old! I looked it up in an antique book price guide and it's only worth about $9.99. But still, a 100 year old cookbook gets to keep its place in my collection.


2) Chiquita Banana's Recipe Book

By: Chiquita

- This is a smaller pamphlet style booklet issued from the Chiquita Banana company in 1950 that contains many different recipes with, you guessed it, BANANA'S as the main ingredient. The whole book seems to be in excellent condition except the white mark on the bottom of the front cover. I can't seem to find a definitive price on the pamphlet, but a few people I've talked to about it believe it could be worth quite a bit, maybe $40.00-$60.00.


3) Three Rivers Cookbook

By: The Child Health Association of Sewickley, PA

- This book isn't worth much if anything to most collectors. But, since I am from the Pittsburgh, PA area, and this book is full of drawings, recipes, and illustrations dealing with all things Pittsburgh, I love it. It has submitted recipes from all different cuisines as well of drawings of famous areas of Pittsburgh and the sports teams, The Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates. I have no idea how much it could be worth, but to me it's priceless...for now.


The box had many other books. One about Kentucky Recipes with little stories, quips, and anecdotes. A Cincinnati tour guide style book all about restaurants in Cinci with famous recipes from the stores. An old Mayberry RFD cookbook with recipes from Aunt B and the rest of the gang. Many old pamphlets from the Osterizer company, as well as many other neat old books. Maybe this isn't the most glorious of finds, but I enjoyed reading some of the books, and digging through recipes of the past.


I have just acquired three more cameras to post about very very soon. The one hasn't even gotten to me yet...but I'll have it here soon enough. So stay tuned to see these next great finds, and until then...HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!

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Posted by Izateddy at 3:04 AM | | Comments

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

First Camera Of The Blog

Okay, so I said I collect a lot of things. Some people say junk, but I call them antiques, treasures, pieces of history, mementos, anything other than junk! In addition to my music collection, one of my many other collections is cameras. I love photography! I have everything from true antiques, to 99 cent toy cameras. Cameras to me are a fun way to make almost anyone an artist. They are so simple to learn and use that a child can take basic point and shoot type photos, yet can be so complex that it takes many years to master the art of photography. Photographs are fun ways for people to remember their past, record history, decorate their walls, and just plain have fun with.

The camera I found came from the Goodwill Thrift Store in Johnstown, OH. It's a typical Goodwill Thrift Store, maybe a little smaller than the average Columbus Goodwill, but I'd say it's about on par for a small town type store. Anyway, they have some great things there. Something I bought but isn't really a treasure or an antique is a Lexmark X1150 all in one print/scan/fax/copy...for only $4.99, and IT WORKS! Anyway, I found this neat old Polaroid camera. It's a Polaroid Sun 660. Here are it's specs:


Polaroid Sun 660

-116mm 3 element plastic lens @ f/9

-Automatic Focus Lens with built in close up mode for objects as close as 3 feet away

-Polaroid AF Sonar Focus

-Electronic Shutter with a range of 1/4-1/200sec.

-Automatic, built in electronic flash

-Fold down flash design to protect lens and controls

-Built in carrying strap


Some people may think these cameras are junk, but I think they are fun pieces of history to play around with. First off, you instantly get the picture printed that you just took. Sure it's a poorer quality then most any 35mm film, but the fun factor that goes with it beats out the price difference. And, even though it's from 1981, you can still buy Polaroid 600 film at almost any store. Another great thing about these cameras is that the battery for the flash is built into the film tray. The film is slightly more expensive then 35mm film, but once you figure in developing fees, it's usually cheaper in the long run. I found out that these cameras originally sold for $95.00, and that a lot of people that build robots and such look for these because of the sonar focusing module in the cameras. They use the sonar pieces for the robots navigation.


So, I paid $2.99. The going "collectors" rate seems to be anywhere between $5.00-$15.00 for one of these. However, I have seen a few priced between $25.00-$70.00! Either way, I'm happy with it. It makes for a nice addition to my other cameras and Polaroids. Here are a few pics of it:


Well, that's all for now...until next time, HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!

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Posted by Izateddy at 4:23 PM | | Comments

The First Treasure

I have many different collections (some people say I'm a packrat) I look for treasures that fit into my collections. The first post I made here said that I would be showing you the treasures I find around Ohio. So, let me show you the first of many treasures to come.



As some of you already may know, I am very into music. Playing music, listening to music, and collecting music related items. Instruments, sheet music, music related photographs and paintings, as well as music recorded on various mediums from wax cylinders and metal music box discs to Cd's, and everything in between. Well, one of my favorite things about my music collection is going out and rummaging through boxes and such at flea markets, garage sales, and record stores for old records. 78's, 45's, 33's, it doesn't matter...I just LOVE records! Well this past weekend I made a trip out to Sour Records (http://www.sourrecords.com/). Sour Records is this great little record shop in Westerville, OH. I've been going to Sour Records on and off for years now, they have a great selection of records and a selection of local/underground/indie music Cd's. They carry new and used vinyl as well as new and used Cd's. They also have a few books, DVDs and VHS Tapes, all music related. Check it out sometime if you're into records at all...Anyway, back to my find. I like to dig around through their used records in the back room
area. Here all of the records are $1.00 each, most of them aren't anything special, but dig a little, and you may find some gems. Here's what I bought:




1) Donnie Iris - The High and The Mighty
- I had to buy this record because I was born near the Ohio/West Virginia/Pennsylvania border, and Donnie Iris is a Pittsburgh native. My family still lives near Pittsburgh, and Donnie Iris plays gigs in Pittsburgh quite frequently. He's also coming to Columbus Saturday, April 21 to the Alrosa Villa...maybe I can get it signed!




2) The Charlie Daniels Band - Midnight Wind (Promotional Copy)
- I got this album because Charlie Daniels is a legend of country music. I love his fiddle playing techniques, and his back country songs and vocals. This is one of his earlier albums, and it has a small CBS Promo record sticker in the upper left hand corner, and the bottom has a sticker from EPIC records that says "Demonstration NOT FOR SALE." But I bought it anyway...



3) Jimmy Buffett - Living and Dying in 3/4 Time
- Come on, it's Jimmy Buffett and it has the songs "Pencil Thin Moustache" and "Come Monday."

4) Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat
- I fell in love with Cat Stevens' music when a friend of mine had me watch "Harold and Maude." I didn't care for the movie all that much, but the song "The Wind" by Cat Stevens became a favorite of mine. It's on this album.

5) The Beach Boys - All Summer Long
- I'm trying to get all of the Beach Boys albums.

6) The Beach Boys - Best of The Beach Boys Vol. 2
- Once again, I'm trying to get all of the Beach Boys albums.

7) Willie Nelson - Willie Nelson and Friends Live
- Everyone knows Willie Nelson, and this album has him jamming out to some of his best songs with his band and a few other famous musicians, LIVE!

8) Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna
- Fleetwood Mac was a great band, and Stevie Nicks made Fleetwood Mac who they are. This is a great album of hers, and the copy I purchased seems to have some rare markings.

9) Pure Prairie League - Live! Takin' The Stage
- The song Aimee is another one of my favorites, and I don't have any Pure Prairie League live albums.

10)Alabama - Mountain Music
-I love Alabama. They play some wonderful country music. I had every Alabama album except for this one. Now I have them all. Hasn't everyone heard the song "Mountain Music?" "Oh play me some mountain music, like grandma and grandpa used to play..."

Not too bad of a find if I do say so myself. Overall I bought 10 records at $1.00 a piece for a grand total of $10.00. The jury's still out for now on the actual value of this buy, but as soon as I hit up the "Goldmine Record Album Price Guide" I'll let ya know! I'm guessing right now I have at least $30.00 - $50.00 here easily. At least I hope I do.

Well that's all for today's find. I have plenty more treasures to post on here very very soon. But, in closing, if any of you have old records you're looking to throw out or get rid of, let me know! I'll be glad to take em' off your hands. Because as we all know, one mans trash is another mans treasure! Until next time, HAPPY TREASURE HUNTING!

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Posted by Izateddy at 3:56 AM | | Comments

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Looking for treasures...

The idea behind this blog is to scour around Ohio through flea markets, rummage sales, garage sales, yard sales, antique stores, thrift stores, craigs list, etc. and find "Hidden Treasures." Some items may be worth a lot of money, some items may just be unique or interesting finds. I plan to post pictures and descriptions of the treassures I have purchused, as well as the amount I paid, and the actual amount the item is worth. If people that read this blog want to contribute by sending me pictures and descriptions of treasures they have found, I will post them here as well. In the last day, I have aquired two items of interest that I plan to post up on here soon. These will be the first of hopefully many items to follow. So wish me luck on my journey, and stay tuned for for some of Ohio's Best Hidden Treassures!

Happy Treasure Hunting!

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Posted by Izateddy at 7:01 PM | | Comments

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