New to this --- need help!

My dad was a semi-professional photographer and collected all kinds of cameras.I have inherited his extensive camera collection, some of which may be worth some real dollars. I have no idea how to determine the value of any of it. Some of it is ancient. All of it is pre-digital. I don't even know where to begin or who to trust to give me an honest appraisal. Can anyone help me?

first off, if you know the camera make and model you can just try google searching it along with "price" or "value". or maybe "current value". you should be able to find something that might at least give you an idea of how much they're worth.

and if you have a local camera shop you can try going there. if it's a new place that only deals in digital cameras there is a chance the owner doesn't know anything about film cameras. but even if they can't help you out, they should be able to direct you to someone who can (hopefully).

and if all else fails, you can take up photography! (unless you already have, and are just trying to find these prices because you're interseted)

As a starting point, you might want to compare what you have with what's available at sites like B&H Photo's used dept. - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse...1/N/4294247179
or KEH - http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx
both very reputable dealers. Understand that the price other examples are selling for, is going to be a bit more than what they'd offer you, but it'll give you an idea.

I would look on Ebay, as some things may look like junk but may not be as the junk will sell for allot of money! View cameras, cut film and plate, and old roll film cameras are selling for allot also.

I agree with freygr. You can get a good idea what people are willing to pay for equipment by searching the completed listings. Course, you need an ebay account to view those, but they will give you a solid idea how much each piece is going for on the used market.