Two hundred and twenty five dollars! This is a standard sized photobooth picture, 40 x 50 mm. It has “some residual glue or sticky substance” on the right side, with wear to the edges. Even as an avid collector I can’t figure out why someone was prepared to pay so much for one little, “distressed” photo. Will I be posting another record price soon? Who knows? The market is certainly hot at the moment.
I do not know much about tokens for photobooth machines but they are highly sought after by collectors. They were used to replicate the size and weight of an American coin in countries where they were not used as currency i.e. everywhere other than the USA. I presume it saved the manufacturers of the booths having to adjust each machine for the varying coin sizes in each destination country. It seems there were many types of token available in each country, this one having been made for the Nouvelles Galeries (now Galeries Lafayette) department store in Paris.
Some months ago I was sent an email from Ebay for the day’s listings of photomatic photobooth items. These two darlings were listing as a buy it now for $9.99. I immediately clicked on the link to make a purchase but the items had been removed. They had been re-listed as two separate auctions. The first one sold for $70.99, the second for $92.00. Needless to say I was not the winning bidder on either lot. It made me very happy about the wee, wee prices I have paid for my many treasures. I bet the seller was thrilled!
Ebay Sale October 4, 2011
Since the time I started buying photobooth photos online, the prices have gone up and up. I am occasionally amazed at how high a price will go. I can see why this photo is desirable, as it is quite old and very unusual, but $153.50? My feeling is that the competing bidders had money making projects in the works. Will this photo eventually appear in an exhibition or book?
Selected images from the photomaton advertisement campaign from Chanel, “Cocomaton”, with some behind the scenes shots. Please click the above thumbnails for a larger view of each pic.
Hand Tinted Vintage Booth Photo
I have just added a link to the most wonderful resource available online for those others in the world who love the old chemical photobooths. At the site you will find information about everything you could imagine related to the photobooth – art, books, music, events, projects etc. Brian Meacham and his friend Tim Garrett, co-founded this appreciation site photobooth.net in the USA.
No matter where you are in the world, if you are looking for a photobooth in your area, this is where to look to find a location. If you know of any booths near you that are not listed, you can let them know.
Please visit photobooth.net. The link is on your right, under the title “Photobooth Resources”.
Photobooth Journal 