Posted 8 years ago
SDCameraFan
(6 items)
Bear Photo Special Camera (Made by Ansco for Bear Photo Service Company of San Francisco, circa 1940's). 6x9 cm. images on Agfa B2 Plenachrome film.
These were manufactured with graphics of a bear and sun rays on the camera face, in silver, or like this one, gold. There is also a bear-shaped brass emblem on top that says "Bear Photo Service". I've seen others with this emblem mounted on the side.
Fairly simple box camera with 'time exposure' and 'instant' photo settings, along with a fixed focus glass lens. Metal outer case with wood inside and a removeable film holder made of metal and cardboard.
I found this one recently at an industrial estate sale in San Diego.
Camera is in nice condition. Good purchase. - Rob
In looking closer at your camera, it is slightly different than mine. The shutter releases have different designs, which helps me identify the base camera. Your version is an Ansco Cadet D-6 (c1947) with the Bear Photo Service decorative front plate. Mine is model Ansco Cadet B2. It's nice to see the two different versions.
http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Bear-Photo/Bear-Photo-Special.html
I paid $15 for this one and the lady running the estate sale was eager to sell it. She even lowered the price for me from $20!
Hard to pinpoint manufacturing date on these. From what I've seen, these were made from 1928-1930, though the Collectiblend Bear Special listing says 1938. Here's someone else's input: http://www.mfbox.co/bear-photo-special/
McKeown's Price Guide also does not list a 'born' date.
I am a major contributor to the price guide (my name is listed) and haven't yet given Jim my research on this camera. The information appearing on the Internet is speculative and re-references the same incorrect information. The base camera is an Ansco Cadet which dates roughly to the 1940s. There might be earlier models. If you have a price guide, look up the Ansco Cadet and you will see it is the camera used here. My posting also notes this.
Yes, just compared them and looks like you're right. The added graphics make the Bear viewfinder lenses and shutter opening look larger, but I think that may be an optical illusion. I wonder if I have one of the Cadet models among my roughly 1000 cameras. Time to build a data base...
This is interesting; I never knew Ansco used different cameras as a base model for the Bear. Mine is definitely different than the one pictured here, and also has no badge on it at all.
Hey John ... please post your Bear Photo Special camera.
John: I wonder if yours is the silver version and perhaps the badge fell off over time, or perhaps didn't come with one to begin with. Would love to see it.
Camera posted. I have only a single photo of it available to me here at work, but it should be detailed enough for further identification. I do remember looking for signs of a missing badge, but I cannot find any sort of evidence that there ever was one on my camera.