Frezzolini/Graflex Home Portrait 5x7 Big Bertha w/40\" F8 Lens - A Rare Beast For Sale

Big Bertha

Hello and thanks for looking. Rare James Frezzolini modified 5x7 Home Portrait Graflex with a 40” F8 lens. Model No.102 and serial number 888. I acquired this camera from the contents of Frezzi Electronics (formerly Frezzolini Cameras) as they recently closed their doors for good and I have to wonder if “8” wasn’t James Frezzolini’s lucky number since the camera the company still had in their possession after all this time was number 888. Could just be coincidence but I guess we’ll never know. Anyway what I can do is tell you about this beast of a camera (without getting into the weeds about Graflex Big Berthas etc). First you might have noticed that the focusing lever found on the right side of the lens housing is not present. There’s a plate covering the spot where it would couple inside the lens. The screws for the plate match the other screws in the lens housing both in type and age patina. They seem original. And the aluminum cover plate seems to be a perfect match in age and type as well. Was the Model 102 made without a lever? Again, who knows but it does seems plausible. The focusing knob by the way does turn freely and smoothly. Focusing is easy. And the diaphragm, actuated by the knob atop the lens also turns freely and smoothly. The lens glass looks good. There is some internal dust as you might expect but nothing ugly inside that I could see. There is no lens identification ring on the front of the lens. You\'ll see that it fills the barrel with no room for an ID ring. You will also notice that the flocking inside the lens barrel is loose and hanging a bit. That should be an easy fix. A more difficult fix is the detached shutter curtain. Shutter will not move at present. Lower tension cannot be adjusted either (I clicked it down but now that it’s down it can’t be brought up). Plus there is some general wear, one vertical bit of missing leather on the right side and one good dent through the leather on the top left of the camera body. See the pics. Viewing hood assembly is in pretty much perfect condition having spent its life protected. Original hand strap for the door that protects the viewing hood is present but detached. The lens barrel and aluminum trim are in fine condition but could use some further cleaning (I gave it a light once over - got some of the dirt off but also just moved some of it around). Mirror can be lowered into place via the right side lever and goes up when the left side shutter release lever is pressed. Though not in pristine condition and in need of some cleaning and attention this is still both a rare and a historically important camera. Add to that the fact it was likely owned (and perhaps used) by James Frezzolini himself and I have to think it will find a prized place in someone’s collection.

Please note that this is a large and heavy item as far as cameras go. 40” long and 45lbs before packing. I took the pictures on a pull down roll of 48” wide paper and you can see the edges of the roll in a few of the pics. It’s a monster and shipping costs reflect that. My intention is to secure it inside a plywood box which can be in turn be put into a larger box and/or brought to a service like USPS or UPS but I encourage anyone looking at this to consider UShip or some form of blanket wrap type shipping that offers a more personalized service for items of this class. I use them a lot and will be happy to help make that work for you. Local pick up in Easton, PA is also welcome.