5 ft ERC camera what is it ??

[premierpicker]

found this huge folding wood camera in an attic. There are no tags or plates on it. It measures 70 1/4" long at the rale. The frame or box area that holds the lens is 20" X 20" and the cut out or opening for the lens is 4" X 5". The frame of the glass plate measuring 20 1/4" X 16 1/4" and the glass measuring 14" X 17". The wood appears to mahogany and it is all dove tailed. There is no lense. Just the case, bellows and some attachments (plates, frames etc). I have sold many cameras ( I am not an expert by any means) but know enough to research most of them and can't find anything remotely close to this size. There a few Century Studio cameras but none that I could find are this large. I downloaded sevearl photos on photobucket if anyone wants to see them please email me. I am going to try to put the link and the photos on here if it will let me as I do not use these boards often. Any help appreciated. Trying to figure out if this is indeed large format possibly for wet plate ? or some other specific purpose. I think it is an enlarging reducing copying camera but not sure of the maker. I am going to sell it once I can identify it and get a value. Thanks for looking s829.beta.photobucket.com/user/june7210/library/

[luvantique]

What you have is a copy and enlarging camera. It's for dry plates and could have been made anytime from a little before the turn of the last century into the 20's or maybe even 1930's, by any number of possible makers. I have a smaller but similar piece made by one of the incarnations of Rochester Optical. Just one minor point in your description. The joints are box joints, not dovetails (dovetails are tapered). Price is more difficult, and comes down pretty much to whatever you can get for it. While it's beautiful camera, few collectors have the space it requires, and without a lens, it loses a lot even as a display piece. Good luck with it.