Yes, I have seen this happen, indeed! Ah, but then you can swap and sell at a profit to get the rarest ones. Or that’s what I tell myself anyway. (Laughing!). Again, thank you for such a great piece!
This is exactly the place i want to be. I do have a question of spreadsheets out there. My collection goal is to get international reels from the 1950s. I havent seen a list with production date sorting. Does any exist?
Production dates are a little tricky, which is probably why that doesn't exist. It's tricky in my mind for two key reasons: 1. Many reels do not have a date on them at all, making it difficult to pin down. 2. Many reels were produced for decades and photos were swapped out over time to update them. So then the photos on the reels range from the 1950s to the 1990s (in extreme cases). And, finally: Single reels are numbered and you can get a rough estimate of their release date by the style and then the number.
Frankly, single reels were mostly popular in the 1950s and then three-reel sets because the norm. The release dates of three-reel sets are often easier to track because the packet designs consistently evolved every few years, making dating them to a given time frame much easier.
Finally, the View-Master collecting books referenced above do offer some insights into when three-reel packets were updated over time. But it's an imperfect science given the size of View-Master's catalog over the course of six decades of busy, active production and reproduction schedules.
Such a great presentation with valuable as well as fun information. You make us all want to start collecting!
Sometimes that’s my goal and other times I think: “Wait, but prices will go up if more people like this!” Ha!
Yes, I have seen this happen, indeed! Ah, but then you can swap and sell at a profit to get the rarest ones. Or that’s what I tell myself anyway. (Laughing!). Again, thank you for such a great piece!
This is exactly the place i want to be. I do have a question of spreadsheets out there. My collection goal is to get international reels from the 1950s. I havent seen a list with production date sorting. Does any exist?
Thank you
Production dates are a little tricky, which is probably why that doesn't exist. It's tricky in my mind for two key reasons: 1. Many reels do not have a date on them at all, making it difficult to pin down. 2. Many reels were produced for decades and photos were swapped out over time to update them. So then the photos on the reels range from the 1950s to the 1990s (in extreme cases). And, finally: Single reels are numbered and you can get a rough estimate of their release date by the style and then the number.
Frankly, single reels were mostly popular in the 1950s and then three-reel sets because the norm. The release dates of three-reel sets are often easier to track because the packet designs consistently evolved every few years, making dating them to a given time frame much easier.
Finally, the View-Master collecting books referenced above do offer some insights into when three-reel packets were updated over time. But it's an imperfect science given the size of View-Master's catalog over the course of six decades of busy, active production and reproduction schedules.
A good intro/starting off guide anyone! For anyone looking for more info on collecting VM, this would be a great article to point to.
Thanks so much! If I forgot anything a beginner should know, let me know and I’ll update it.
What to use for very basic cleaning, maybe? Ie soft brush and airblower. Can't think you missed much to be honest 🙂