When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Up for sale is a metal canister full of beautiful colored 16mm family videos, each in their own canister as well. They feature adventures and vacations around the world with a lot of imagery of famous landmarks, mountains and rivers, cruise ships, wildlife and scenic, motor vehicle travels, highways and so much more. Each one is a 400 foot reel approximately 10 minutes in duration, totaling around two hours of footage.These are all one-of-a-kind home videos at a time when filming was rare especially in full and rich 16mm color. Unfortunately there aren\'t dates on most of the descriptions written on the canisters, but based on some and also the contents of the videos it seems much of these occurred in the 1940s and 1950s. Possibly some in the early 1960s as well. One of the signs 12 Vintage 1940s-1950s 16mm Color 400 Foot Home Videos in Canisters
Stunning color images of world travels; ~2 hours worth Circa 1940s-50s (1960s also?)
Up for sale is a metal canister full of beautiful colored 16mm family videos, each in their own canister as well. They feature adventures and vacations around the world with a lot of imagery of famous landmarks, mountains and rivers, cruise ships, wildlife and scenic, motor vehicle travels, highways and so much more. Each one is a 400 foot reel approximately 10 minutes in duration, totaling around two hours of footage.
These are all one-of-a-kind home videos at a time when filming was rare especially in full and rich 16mm color. Unfortunately there aren\'t dates on most of the descriptions written on the canisters, but based on some and also the contents of the videos it seems much of these occurred in the 1940s and 1950s. Possibly some in the early 1960s as well. One of the signs in one of the videos has stats that stop at 1940 and a license plate is a 1946-1949 style in another. I can\'t promise the dates but there are likely many clues that will help pinpoint the exact times (cars etc). The color is still remarkable some 60-70 years later.
They have been stored indoors and by a single owner until I acquired them in an estate sale several years ago. I did the \"vinegar test\" and if you are close within an an inch or two from them you can smell what I assume may be that condition. But it is not strong and the films do not appear very fragile or deteriorated of course you always want to be gentle given their age. Only one of them seems warped and difficult to play, see note below.
I have played these a few times over the past couple of years, mostly when testing different projectors. I also played or at least rewound them again in preparation for this listing to capture some shots and assess quality. Most of them played without any trouble. There were a few (#3, #4 and #8 I believe) that had been spliced at some points, which came undone and is now resealed with tape but they may need a little assistance at these spots depending on your projector.
The only one that would not play well at all in the projector I tested is #10. The film appears very warped around the edges and possibly kinked which makes it hard for the gears to grip on so the footage is constantly out of focus or choppy. I note this as \"bad film\" on the canister but you may be able to restore it or process it through a better system than what I have.
All of the preview pictures seen here were captured from a standard camera while the films played on a projector against white poster board, then scaled down and auto-adjusted in an image editor. To my knowledge none of these films have ever been digitized to any format — I\'m sure it would look amazing in restored HD with the right equipment and dedication.
All of the notes on the canisters are original from the owner. I cannot guarantee that everything written is always on the films enclosed but just in playback and comparing it seems