Sharing the legacy of an unreasonable collector.

Gianpaolo, my father, was a collector.

And like any true collector, he was far from being a reasonable man.

He harbored a multitude of passions that he transformed into collections. As an engineer with an love for history, much of his fascination centered around technical devices with chrome, gears and intricate moving parts (like watches, calculators, or typewriters).

Amidst his diverse collections, he dedicated most of his attention to his collection of vintage cameras.

As far as I can remember, I’ve always seen him scouring antique shops across the globe, frequenting fairs, and flea markets in pursuit of cameras ranging from the early 1900s to the late 1980s.

His pleasure lay in spending his nights disassembling them, painstakingly bringing them back to life. I rarely witnessed him happier than when he finally heard the “click” of a camera’s shutter that had lain silent for decades.

This passion drove him for more than five decades, leading him to create one of the most eclectic and captivating collection of vintage cameras, spanning not only through various eras but also encompassing a diverse array of technical innovations.

I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with him during my childhood (often assisting him in carrying newly acquired camera boxes or observing him intently as he repaired them). As I grew older, he used to wait for my visits so he could guide me through his latest acquisitions in his sanctuary after dinner. It’s a ritual we cherished for years.

In 2020, my father passed away, leaving behind one of the most comprehensive collections, housing over 2000 vintage cameras.

The first shared collection using NFTs

In September 2022, 2 years after my father’s passing, I decided to continue the journey he started, but with a different approach. While he aimed for an extensive collection, I’m focused on curating a definitive collection with only the 99 most iconic cameras ever.

And since I believe collections make sense if they are shared, I have created the 99 Cameras Club to gather passionate collectors that want to share this adventure with me.

The 99 Cameras Club is an innovative collection project with the ambition of curating the most iconic camera collection thru shared ownership.

The idea is simple but revolutionary : Club members acquire shares of the project thru Digital Collectibles (NFT) and participate to the life of the club’s (physical) collection.

All proceeds contribute to enhancing the collection, through exchanging cameras with more iconic ones, financing the 99 Cameras Museum or creating exclusive collectible items like the 99 Cameras Collector Book (to be issued early 2024). 

All contributors are entitled to a part of profits in case of sale of the collection and exclusive or privileged access to all activities and collectibles.

We offers various opportunities through Membership cards or Camera Collectibles to create a meaningful and passionate community of Organisations, Photographers and Collectors.

For the first time, you can finance and participate to an innovative, dynamic collection project by curating your own digital collection !