
Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2002 6:41 am
Here's a story and a question. Laugh at me, or just the story
For over a year I have seen Crown #1 Tripods go for auction. They looked big and were very pretty to look at, and wood and brass and old and Graflex. I could resist no longer when one came up with a very reasonable 'buy now' price and I grabbed it.
Now, for all this time, I somehow associated the Crown #1 with the Crown View camera. Both about the same age, wood, company, and from the pictures, size. The tripod looked huge...
Well, I now have a Crown #1 Tripod in my posession. Or possibly a toy dealer-demo tiny version of it? And tiny it is too... Not more than about 14 inches long collapsed. Sure, 6 feet high fully extended, but thin and wobbly and certainly not useable for a 4x5.
But still very pretty

And I go back to look at those pictures and wonder if what I got is what they were all selling? It still looks huge in the pics.... When I explained all this to my wife, she certainly got a good laugh out of it... And so did I. It's pretty enough to keep and be happy with, although now I'm considering using it as a planter holder instead of a tripod...
Now a minor question. Considering the name "Crown", what camera was this made for? Did Graflex have a 35mm 'Crown' back in 1900? Or was this made as a traveling tripod and maybe it was just a bit tighter when new?
Curious, but still happy...
Rich...