FILM STARS Faking the Mickey

Worthless fake or valuable rarity? John Wade delves into a Mickey Mouse camera mystery

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Camera collecting mysteries don’t come much more mysterious than the great Mickey Mouse Camera Mystery. It began in 1995 when an unusual Kodak Brownie Target Six-20 box camera came up for auction in London. What made it different was the faceplate surrounding the lens. Instead of the usual black and silver Art Deco design, the faceplate was coloured yellow and green. Curved across the top of the lens were the words Mickey Mouse, and Mickey himself strode across the bottom beneath the lens. The lower left-hand corner bore the words Made in USA by Eastman Kodak Ltd and, in the lower right-hand corner, appeared the words © Special Permission Walt Disney Enterprises. The mystery was that neither Kodak nor Disney had any knowledge of the camera.

Auction staff, researching its authenticity, contacted Eastman Kodak Company, George Eastman House and the Disney Archives. None had any record of the camera. Three of the world’s top Kodak collectors who were also contacted confessed to knowing nothing about the camera. In short, no one could confirm it was authentic. But no one could say that it wasn’t.

Despite the uncertainty of the camera’s provenance, which was clearly stated by the auctioneers in its sales catalogue, bidding was fierce, particularly between two telephone bidders. Neither had an issue with the authenticity – or lack thereof – and the camera sold for £4,500, plus 12.5% buyer’s premium VAT-rated at the then 17.5%, making a total of more than £5,000 paid by the buyer.