Extremely Rare SEARS Camera Catalogs 1956 and forward. Leica, Nikon, Contax, Rolleiflex, Tower Cameras and more!

January 22, 2018

#224

Gentle reader,

There was a time that Sears, Roebuck & Company was one of the largest retail companies in the United States. Sadly, there is little of it left. 

One thing we kids looked forward to every Autumn was the Sears, Wards, and J.C.Penney Christmas catalogs would start arriving in the mail! We couldn't wait to sit down and look through all the toys that we hoped Santa would bring.

Unbeknownst to many camera collectors is that SEARS sent out annual Camera Catalogs as well.

Many collectors DO know that Sears, Montgomery Wards and even J.C.Penney sold cameras under either their own names, or in Sears' case, under the brand name: TOWER. As seen on the cover of this 1956 catalog cover.

Did you know that SEARS took no chances, and like Amazon today, sold cameras from many other companies. Such as  Leica, Nikon, Contax, Rolleiflex, AGFA Anco, Argus and many other brands.

They also sold the camcorders of their time, 8mm and 16mm home movie cameras. PLUS everything else they could that was related to converting light into pictures. Just turning the pages in these historic catalogs is a trip back to a simpler time. 

Plus, these catalogs are a wealth of information on these cameras, the lenses that were for them, the multitudinous accessories too. Cover to cover every page is packed with "Wish Book" items.  

These two are far more recent and the TOWER brand was long gone, like Wards and J.C.Penney they went to labeling their rebadged cameras with the SEARS name. I've had a number of TOWER and SEARS cameras in my collection along with some WARDS models too. My FIRST camera as a newlywed in 1979 was a J.C.Penney 110 camera. All we could afford.

Below are pages in the 1956 edition. They are just teasers. 

I am offering these catalogs with a bonus below:

This special issue from MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY is filled with tons of information perhaps not available anywhere else!

rfcollectin | eBay  

Above is a link to my eBay page where these catalogs (and above!) are waiting to find a new home along with 99 camera and photography books too. They are going fast, especially the nude and glamour books!

Above shows what is on eBay right now, less any that might have been snapped up as I write this. 99 left and looking for new eyes!

Thanks for looking!

Scott

January 22, 2018