Over 500 cameras, camera lenses and photographic accessories will go under the hammer at auction house Mossgreen-Webb's. Photo / Supplied
One man's treasured collection of antique cameras, one of the largest collections in New Zealand, is up for auction - for the third time in two years.
Over 500 cameras, camera lenses and photographic accessories gathered by late European collector Sierd Bouma, will go under the hammer at auction house Mossgreen-Webb's.
"Some of these cameras are very difficult to find," said James Hogan, a manager at Mossgreen-Webb's.
"So when there are two collectors bidding for a camera the prices can just go crazy.
"Already there are 6500 views on our website, which is a lot more interest than we would usually have at this point."
Over 50 years Bouma collected the photographic equipment, along with pocket watches, oceanic and tribal artefacts, Sumida pottery, nautical collectables, vintage records, paintings, and scientific and medical instruments.
When the auction house first looked through Bouma's camera collection it wasn't aware of the scale of items he owned.
"It was a lot more than we had expected," Hogan said. "We found some really weird and wonderful things which will be up for auction."
Bouma spent his retirement visiting antique shops, secondhand stores and flea markets while overseas visiting his family.
In 2015, Bouma had his collection of 360 pieces of antique and vintage timepieces sold.
One watch in particular fetched an impressive $61,000 -- snapped up by a phone bidder from the United States. It was the highest price offered for any vintage watch sold by auction in New Zealand.
Born in the Netherlands in 1923, Bouma lived through World War II under German occupation, where a fascination for electronics began after he and his father built a radio set so they could listen to news reports.
The auction will be held at Mossgreen-Webb's in Parnell, Auckland, on July 16 and 17.