The Yashica T4. Found at Value Village for $2.99.
Yashica T4 price tag.

Found, years ago, in a Value Village bin. The price tag? $2.99.

The question of the day is; When you find an especially great deal, do you leave the price tag on it?

I have a Gitzo tripod I found at a Goodwill maybe 8-10 years ago. It was brand new, unused, for $7.99. (I found it in the furniture section and had to sit down for a moment on a nearby battered sofa to regain my composure.) That price tag has weathered and worn, but it remains. It’s like a badge of honor.

The worn $7.99 price tag on my Gitzo tripod.
The worn price tag on my Gitzo.

I need some cash to take a trip and I’m looking around the studio for stuff to sell on eBay. This Yashica T4 came from my friend Philip’s estate. Like many of the pieces I inherited from him, it had a half spent roll of film in it. I finished the roll off. Granted, I didn’t come up with any images that are worthy of its Carl Zeiss lens, but I muddled through with muddled results. The film turned out to be Seattle Filmworks film – which tells you how long ago this film was loaded. I finished that roll and never picked the camera up again … until just now.

Yashica T4
My buddy Carl’s lens. (Ok… he’s not really my buddy.)

I don’t know … it’s a cute little thing. The half dead battery I found on the shelf activated the camera. The lens extended and the flash flashed. It was Philip’s. He’d found it in a bin for $2.99. I’d rather keep it than sell it for $5.00. I glanced at eBay sales for the T4.

Hey now … I guess I’m not THAT attached. It’s going on the auction block on Sunday (I’m writing this on January 31st, 2025, so you might have missed it).

Which brings me back to the question. Do you leave your price tags on your especially juicy finds? Should I leave THIS price tag on the camera for the next owner to admire? I guess it depends on who buys it. Maybe. What I tuned in to the most was that Philip found this great deal at Value Village. He left the price tag on it, just as I would have done. He and I shared a common enthusiasm over the discovery a great deal.

For some reason, Joe Cocker is playing in my head. “You can leave your hat on.”

Now I gotta turn Philip’s great deal into an airline ticket. I think he would approve.


A film stock beyond vintage Seattle Filmworks film might be a better choice for this sleek, compact machine. (Like, ANY film stock but SFW.)

A park, photographed with a Yashica T4.
The park on Thanksgiving day.
The park, with fallen leaves.
Same.
Food preparation on Thanksgiving oh way back when.
Thanksgiving.
A woman taking a photo in a crowd.
Philip’s wife in a crowd. Taken by Philip.
A woman in a costume.
Another of Philip’s photos.
A woman in a costume, holding a Union Jack.
Funny, his wife has no recollection of this event. (This is not his wife.)
A weird picture of a red headed paper doll being held to a large map of the Nisqually Delta.
Philip’s photo. No idea.

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