The Shaw-Harrison company manufactured these simple, bakelite cameras from 1959 to 1972 in a variety of colors – along with an identical model called the Valiant 620. I picked this one up on eBay for a few bucks because it was advertised as still containing a roll of film. When it arrived, I discovered that the film was only on exposure number 6. With 620 film, there are normally 8 exposures – but this is a rare 620 camera that takes square pictures, so still half the roll was left!
When the camera arrived, I saw that the previous owner had etched his name into the side of the camera:
Was this the inspiration for the film “Toy Story”?
I thought it would be fun to finish Andy’s film roll, and then develop the whole thing. Who knows what would be on this film – maybe from 50, 60 years ago!
Below are the photos I snapped. It seems the film had become damaged somehow – maybe the camera was opened at some point?
Sadly, it seems that too much time had passed between Andy Shepherd’s last use of the camera, and my first. This is all I could glean from the photos he had taken, prior to moving on to other cameras. Or interests altogether.
Sorry, Andy. I tried my best.
You can get all the different colors of this camera on eBay for less than $20 each. Or, if you are patient, maybe even less than $10 each. Or you can buy them on Etsy for ridiculous prices – from nearly $50 to as much as $125. If only Andy hadn’t etched his name into the side of this one….
If you really like the look of this camera (without Andy’s name), you can get a poster of half a Sabre for your home. The poster costs $67. How much for a picture of the whole camera?
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