1914 Victor Kinetoscope Model I

'Offered here is perhaps one of the rarest silent film projectors that you will ever see offered for sale. It is a Victor Model I produced by the Victor Animatograph Co. of Davenport Iowa. This was the first motion picture projector produced by Victor, and it was only made for one short year (1914) The projector measures 53'' tall and about 25'' from front to back. Currently only FOUR examples of this projector are known to exist. This particular unit is the 14th one to be produced. An exact production number is not known, but the conventional wisdom is that only 200-300 were ever made.  I am always buying 35mm movie projectors and related equipment as well as 35mm and 16mm film collections. If you have anything that you are interested in selling, please email me or call at 937-477-9855 and ask for Tom.  The projector uses standard 35mm full frame silent film. It was designed to be light weight and portable, primarily for institutional use and for use in the field by traveling projectionists and showment who would bring moving picture shows to rural locations.  The light source is a very small carbon arc lamp using two small carbon rods. The rods actually protrude from the rear of the lamp housing and would have been hand fed by the projectionist as they were consumed. The intermittent movement is a primitive "beater" type. At the very bottom of the listing is a short video showing the projector being cranked. You can see the beater movement in action. This method of advancing the film was very hard on prints and produced a very shaky picture at best. This design shortcoming is the primary reason for the early demise of this machine. The model II that replaced it in 1915 used a conventional star and cam "geneva" movement.  The condition of the projector is museum quality by any standards. Incredibly it has remained totally complete and intact in its nearly 100 year existence. There are absolutely no missing parts. It even has the original leather take-up belt! The original stereopticon lens for showing glass lantern slides is present and is a rare treat. Of the four known examples, only half still retain this piece. The original ballast for the arc lamp (seen on the floor) is another rare feature that would ordinarily be missing. It is not only present, but still has its original cloth insulated wiring and early screw in plug, all in remarkably fine condition.  Cosmetically the projector shows normal light wear and age related patina. If you collect early projection equipment you will know how difficult it is to find a projector this early in such great condition. Normally they are missing parts, have been modified and have suffered from decades of poor storage. This one is a true exception to the rule.'