Ansco Dollar – Junk Store Cameras

Front stamp “Ansco Dollar Camera”

If you fork over a dollar for an Ansco Dollar Camera, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. My Ansco Dollar camera is a simple box camera that I picked up in Belfast, Maine. It takes 8 images on 127 film. I’m sure I paid more than a dollar, but not much more. I’m a cheapskate, but I’m not a cheap enough of a skate to dicker over a few bucks for a Dollar Camera. The images on the negatives are large for such a little guy.

Tokeland Hotel

Aberdeen, WA

Shot through a dirty windshield. Fog over the Columbia River on the Astoria Bridge.

Columbia River. WA

North Cove, WA

The body is mostly wood and paper with cool 1920’s black velvet used inside as a light seal. The back door is metal, with little finger clips on the top and bottom.

I was messing around one day and decided to run some horrendously expired Kodacolor-X through my Dollar Camera. This is a C-22 process film – a color process that is no longer available. I ran it through black and white chemicals just for grins. It was a fun experiment but, hmmm…. no.

Memorial.

Washaway Beach.

Cedar Lake, Ortonville, Michigan

For more info on box cameras in general, see my Box Camera Basics page.

McKeown’s PRICE GUIDE TO ANTIQUE & CLASSIC CAMERAS 2005-2006 states, “c1910-28. A small 4×3½x2½” box camera for 127 film. Available in black, burgundy or green. No strap. Some are identified “Ansco Dollar Camera” on the front. The same camera in red and with a strap was sold as the Kiddie Camera c1926-29. $20-$30.”