Antique & Scientific Instruments U.K.

ANTIQUE MICROSCOPES and ACCESSORIES for sale

GEORGIAN MICROSCOPES

A fine antique microscope from the Georgian period, with accessories, which folds to fit in its mahogany case. The folding feet make a flat tripod, which has a pillar rising from its centre, terminating in a compass joint. This carries a bracket which holds the triangular section bar with rack. The stage runs on this bar, controlled by a thumbwheel operated pinion for focusing and low down on the rack slides a sleeve for the gimbal of the double-sided mirror. The sprung stage is rectangular, with holes to accommodate both the bulls-eye condenser on its articulated arm and stage forceps. At the top of the limb is the bar into which the body-tube plugs. The body-tube has a built-in eyepiece and, unusually, draws out to adjust the tube length, bringing the microscope to a height of just over 15 inches in the working position. All six numbered objectives are present, with two other (achromatic?) objective lenses. Accessories include, a small pair of forceps, stage forceps on a ball-jointed mount, live-box, lieberkuhn with built in, objective lens and ivory slides. 30 specimens are included on 5 six-place ivory sliders. The mahogany case is fully fitted with a recessed handle and working lock & key. This early 19^th century transitional microscope set has been sympathetically refurbished to a very high standard and makes a fine display as well as being an early working microscope. - £1850

 GRAND BINOCULAR MICROSCOPES

An antique binocular microscope which has the trade plate for J.PARKES & SON, 5 ST.MARY’S ROW BIRMINGHAM  on the foot, with accessories in it’s fitted mahogany case. This is an early Parkes model, dated around 1870. It has rack & pinion inter-ocular separation, straight rack & pinion main focus and limb mounted fine focus. The full mechanical stage has a rotating and sliding overstage, with threaded socket for sub-stage accessories. The Wenham prism assembly is removable from the nosepiece on a sliding shoe. The large plano-concave mirror has some age veining on both sides. Whilst the foot is the standard Ross claw foot type, the limb assembly is a cross between the Ross and Jackson types, possibly a prototype. The huge range of accessories include a box of cover slips, live box, large parabolic sub-stage condenser in brass can, sub-stage wheel of stops with blue filter, Wenham prism on sliding shoe, a sub-stage poleriser, nosepiece analyser, sub-stage condenser on thumbwheel controlled rackwork, two pairs (low power and high power) of top-hat style oculars, 3 different power eyepieces for high power monocular work, 4 objectives in matching brass cans (1/8, ¼, ½ & 2 inch), the two high power being adjustable for cover slip thickness. There is a sliding drawer containing some of the accessories, the rest of which are fitted into the main case. The microscope and accessories fit into a hand made dovetailed mahogany case with inset brass carry handle, lock but no key and a catch to the door.- £950

A very rare Wenham binocular microscope signed on the limb J T Slugg Manchester. Josiah Slugg was famous for his writings, particularly “REMINISCENCES OF MANCHESTER FIFTY YEARS AGO” published in 1881, and for making low cost astronomical telescopes. I can find no records of him ever having made a microscope and the engraving of his signature on this microscope is remarkably similar to his neighbour J B DANCER on a similar period instrument. Slugg was trained as a chemist and made his money from soda water whilst developing a keen interest in astronomy and scientific subjects. Like Dancer, he lectured on scientific subjects without taking a fee and he was a preacher at the local Wesleyan Sunday School in Manchester. This microscope was probably commissioned by Slugg in an attempt to produce a low cost binocular microscope. When it comes to quality, this is the bottom of the pile. The lacquer is poor, there is no mechanical inter-ocular separation, just a screw for each side to prevent the draw tube from coming out of the body. The stand is an early iron Society of Arts type foot, with recessed rack and thumbwheel driven pinion main focus, nosepiece lever fine focus, built-under wheel of stops condenser, plano-concave mirror and Wenham prism on a sliding shoe to facilitate low power binocular or monocular vision for high power work. Although the prism looks to be in good condition, the stereo vision leaves something to be desired. The minimal accessories comprise a pair of eyepieces and two non-RMS objectives in brass cans. One of the objectives is an early “button type” again similar to those used by Dancer on his early low cost microscopes. This type of objective can be used on different powers by removing or adding one of the “buttons. The microscope measures some 15 inches tall in the working position, and the oculars are removed to fit into its case. This model is an early development of the Wenham binocular microscope introduced in 1861 as it is fitted with pre-RMS objectives. The simple mechanical stage has a slide bar and (unusually) one control thumbwheel on each side of the stage. The rack work is in operating condition. The microscope and accessories fit into a (later I think) oak case with brass carry handle from which someone has removed the lock and fitted a later catch to hold the door closed. The microscope has, no doubt, had a life possibly being used by Slugg himself for research and reflects what can only be described as the “bottom end” of the binocular microscope range in the third quarter of the 19^th century, but it is still a working microscope and a very rare find. - £550

VICTORIAN MONOCULAR MICROSCOPES

  A top of the range WATSON No. 1 Van Heurck microscope, with matching top class Holoscopic optics in it’s fitted mahogany case. The main focus and first stage draw tube is by rack & pinion and fine focus is by thumbwheel-lever. The microscope has a mechanical stage with thumb-wheel "X - Y" control & scales and a slide clamp with clips, on a circular rotating  stage. The mechanical, centring, sub-stage has thumbwheel controlled fine adjustment and holds a lever-operated iris and swing-out filter holder with inter-changeable condenser threads. The plano-convex mirror is on a swing-out limb for oblique illumination, and the stand is engraved with the makers name, address and instrument serial number. This number, 14422, dates it to 1910 and an engraving on the steady bar R.D.C. 27336 which I guess is the first owner’s serial number. The microscope comes with a host of accessories including six objectives (2 in., 25mm, 12mm, 8mm & 2mm Holoscopic in matching lacquered brass cans and a 2mm Apochromatic in matching can), 4 "top hat" type eyepieces (two Holoscopic adjustable types X5 & X14 and 2 Huyg. X15 & X10 ).  Sub-stage accessories include a universal condenser, a Nelsons D.G. condenser, a Holos immersion parabolic condenser, a can of filters & stops and a poleriser. Over stage accessories include a nosepiece analyser, free-standing bullseye condenser, stage forceps and a live box engraved “W.WATSON & SONS LTD, LONDON”. The case has a brass handle, brass hinges to the door and a working lock & key. The whole instrument is in excellent working condition, mechanically & optically, with all original finishes showing some age spotting. A top class microscope outfit from the beginning of the 20^th century. - £3250

An antique microscope by JAMES PARKES, & SON, with accessories in its original fitted mahogany case. The plaque on the heel of the microscope foot indicates the maker Jas Parkes & Son, Birmingham (England). Main focus is by draw tube with a further scaled draw tube to set the tube length, and fine focus is by thumbwheel at the top of the stand. The microscope stands about 12 inches high when in use and comes with two eyepieces, and two objectives (marked 1/8 & 1 in) in matching lacquered brass cans. The square stage has two stage clips and a built-in wheel of stops condenser. The mechanical sub stage has thumbwheel control of position and swings out to allow the condenser to be removed. An Abbe type condenser with lever-operated iris is held in place with two thumb screws. The plano/concave mirror is on a gimbal assembly. This is all mounted on a substantial solid brass continental style foot. The mahogany case has brass hinges and lock (but no key) and a leather carrying handle on top. The instrument and accessories are all in very good condition both optically and cosmetically. A fine working microscope from the latter half of the 19^th century. - on hold

A classic antique microscope known as Smith & Beck's Educational model, sometimes referred to as the milk box or shoebox microscope. Richard Beck wrote a book, The Achromatic Microscope, (1865) in which this microscope with all its accessories and uses was featured. A facsimile of the book has been published by SHL. Its unique design enables it to be packed into a very compact (shoe box) type case. The microscope has drawtube course focus, thumbwheel fine focus, a stage bullseye, slide clip, a plano-concave mirror and has the name “SMITH & BECK, LONDON” and serial number “1820” (dating it to 1858) on both the trunnions. The model was sold with all the accessories needed by students to study a wide range of subjects, illuminating from above or below, using polarized light (or not), measure the size of the subject and reproduce a picture of the subject. The accessories included with this instrument are:  Polarizer, Analyser, Camera Lucida, Live Box, Sub-Stage stop, a dark-ground and a parabolic condenser, paper covered micrometer slide, wet trough with ledge, 2 eyepieces and 3 objectives.  See no.176 in Turner's RMS book for a similar model. The mahogany fitted box is of the “shoe-box” type and is in excellent condition with brass handle and hinges and measures approx. 12 x 5 x 5 inches. - £650.

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