About three years ago, I bought the contents of a storage unit, mostly to acquire a Stein two strip color camera and some vintage lenses. Included in this purchase were what I thought were three 1920’s vintage pan tilt heads. None of them had wooden legs on them at the time of purchase. Among those three heads was this Precision Ball Bearing Tripod top, sad and rusty, frozen in all axes. It sat around for several years. Recently, I acquired a set of wooden legs that were the correct size to fit this top. The head was completely disassembled, cleaned, de-greased, reassembled, and the new wooden legs were attached. Now it is a whole tripod once more! Intrigued by how well designed and manufactured this unit is, we began to look into its history. We found that it was introduced in 1917 and built by the Motion Picture Apparatus Co., Inc. of New York. From approximately 1913 until 1930, they were a retailer, manufacturer, and importer of motion picture cameras, accessories, and laboratory equipment. Among the brands that they carried were Debrie, Pathe, Moy, Prestwich, Ernemann, Wilart, and Universal. At its introduction in 1917, their Ball Bearing Tripod retailed for $150, the equivalent of about $3,000 in today’s money!
