ANTIQUE
GLOBES, SURVEYING and DRAWING INSTRUMENTS for sale
An antique transit
theodolite engraved in script on the compass face J.Halden
& Co., Manchester. It
is a genuine instrument, not a modern reproduction dating to the latter half of the 1800’s. This instrument
stands fourteen inches high and comes in a mahogany (13 x 7 1/2 x 11 1/2 inch) case,
which also contains the removable bubble level used for setting
the instrument. The telescope, which extends from
10 inches to 11 inches, when fully open, has thumbwheel rack & pinion
focussing, drawtube focussing eyepiece for the graticule, and removable ray
shade to the objective. The vertical circle has 2 verniers
with silvered scales and on one side, and lacquered brass scale
30 – 0 - 30 “Dif. Of Hype & Base” on the other, fine
adjust and thumbwheel clamps. The horizontal silvered scale
has 2 verniers, fine adjust and clamp. The inset, silvered scale is engraved
with the makers name, 8 cardinal points and an outer scale of 0 –360 degrees.
All this is mounted on a four-screw tripod mount with fine adjustments and
clamp. This theodolite is in working order with original finishes showing signs
of use but not abuse, and comes in its original fitted mahogany case with trade
label in the lid. - £495
A rare, half size, antique pantograph. This boxed, early 19th
century, Pantograph, drawing instrument is engraved
on the arm by W & S Jones, 30 Holborn, London.
The instruments is housed in it’s original hand dovetailed tapered mahogany
case, with brass hinges and a lock for which I do not have a key. Arms “B”
& “D” have the scales
1 – 3 all the way up to 1 – 10. There are 4 ivory casters,
1 fixed sleeve and 2 adjustable sleeves with clamping screws (on the arms
“B” & “D”). The case contains the
original tracer stylus, and a brass pivot spike. The instrument case measures
less than 15 1/2 inches long. - £395
A
fine antique drawing set by Elliot Bros., London.
The address "449 Strand, London" dates the set to 1861 - 1880. The case
is mahogany with brass screws, catches & hinges, original working lock
& key, cartouche in lid & lined with blue velvet. The removable mahogany
tray is also blue velvet lined, holding on the left side a very fine ivory sector
and protractor, both of which are free from any flaws and engraved with the
makers name & address. On the right side are the brass & steel drawing
instruments, including 3 ivory handled pens, 2 of which have the makers
name, tool for adjusting the joints, one small pen compass, one small pencil
compass, one large dividers and one large multi-purpose compass/dividers with 3
interchangeable pen/pencil/divider points. The base of
the case holds a box wood set square engraved (or stamped) with the makers name
and a pair of substantial boxwood scale rules,
again each with the makers name. The scale rules have 2 scales on both sides,
providing a total of 8 different scales. A very fine Victorian set of surveyors
drawing instruments by one of the top scientific instrument companies of the day
-on hold
A pair of antique PROPORTIONAL DIVIDERS in brass & steel, 6 ¼ inches long in
good working order. The dividers are engraved with scales on one side for circles
and for lines on the other - £35
A cased PLANIMETER by Thornton, Manchester. A
fine example of an instrument used to calculate the area of an irregular shape
on a map or drawing. Invented by Joseph Amsler, of Schaffhausen,
Switzerland, in 1859, this early 20th Century example, is engraved
on the arm “A.G.THORNTON, MANCHESTER” along with various scales, and has the
retailers trade label for “G.HUTCHIN & SONS, EDINBURGH” inside the case
lid. The instrument is made from German Silver, and the case
is lined in purple velvet. See SIS bulletin 97 for a description and
instructions on how to use this fascinating instrument - £85
An antique
surveying compass, which is
about 100 years old, is engraved on the silver compass dial
with the eight cardinal points and 0 – 360
on an outer ring. The compass plate is also engraved “Made in France” but
the markings are in English, so it is safe to assume it was made for the English
market. The sights fold and the stand attachment, which
has a socket for staff mounting and a ball joint for leveling, detaches from the
instrument for storage and is locked onto the compass by
way of a thumb screw. The silver compass
has a sliding needle clamp, blue steel needle and a pair of working bubble
levels inset. The whole instrument is about 10 cm. diameter and in very
good condition. - £125
An antique 19th
century dark silvered French Cross signed ”Ahrend
7310”, on the body with glazed edge bar compass
and clamp. The 0 – 360 degree silver scale also has the four compass points
“N, S, O & W” There are 3 pairs of slit sights turning knob and silver
body scale with vernier. This
surveying instrument has a socket type staff mount with clamp and comes in its
oak case. The cross is 7 inches high, when on its
mount, has sighting wires to all three slots and is finished in its original
lacquer. The case has hinges and catches and a
carrying handle at one end, all in excellent condition both mechanically and
cosmetically- £150
An antique pocket plain
reflecting level, in it’s original case, the makers
name embossed in gold on the inside of the case Elliot
Brothers, Opticians, 446 Strand, London. The instrument draws out
to just under 6 inches long, has a working bubble level along the telescope and
a draw tube eyepiece. It looks to me to be complete, but I have no idea how it
works, with all original finishes and in its original case,
in excellent condition. - £95
ANTIQUE
PRE - HEDLEY MINING DIAL by HEWITSON
NEWCASTLE. A fine and rare mahogany antique mining dial, engraved
in script on the silver compass dial Hewitson,
Newcastle upon Tyne. John Hewitson worked as a mathematician and
Instrument maker in Newcastle on Tyne from 1844 to 1856, making instruments for
the marine trade and the local mining industry. The compass
dial and sight arms are set into the original mahogany base, with a matching
“lid” completing the instrument. The horizontal silver
compass is scaled 0 – 360 degrees and has four 0 – 90 degree scales on the
inside with cardinal points. The mahogany “lid” is carved on the inside to sit on top of the
instrument forming a protective cover and when closed
activates the needle clamp. 2 brass latches to the sides secure it and beneath
the instrument there is a screw-threaded boss for a tripod mounting. This
transitional dial was made before the Headley Dial was patented and shows the
ingenuity of local instrument makers to manufacture a practical instrument to
suit the local needs. There are
clear signs of use shown on the mahogany, including a deep burn on the underside
of the “lid”, perhaps where many candles have been stood to illuminate the
dial. It is a very rare instrument (I hesitate to say “unique” as someone
will no doubt find a similar one somewhere to prove me wrong) the like of which
I have not seen in any collection. -£950
A
fine antique mining dial, early 19th
century, (circa 1830) engraved in script on the silver compass dial
W&S Jones, Holborn, in its original fitted mahogany case. The sights
fold over the original brass lid, and the stand attachment detaches from the
instrument to fit into the case. The horizontal silver compass
has four 0 – 90 degree scales and cardinal points, and the outside ring is
scaled 0 – 360 degrees with the vernier to the north. The instrument has a bubble
level located on one arm, a thumbwheel underneath with
which to turn the dial horizontally, a locating pin to set the North/South axis
in line with the dial axis and a sliding needle clamp. The instrument comes with
its original brass cover which is engraved with scales
and marked “links”, and original stand attachment,
which has an unusual clamp allowing the dial to be tripod mounted either vertically
or horizontally. The whole instrument and its case are
in very good condition. - £750
A late 19th,
or early 20th century brass surveying level,
in its original mahogany case and on a tripod stand, by
REYNOLDS, BIRMINGHAM. The makers name is engraved
on the leveling mount. The fourteen and a half inch long telescope has rack and
pinion focusing and internal focusing cross hairs, and ray shade with dust
shield to the objective. The lengthwise bubble level is eight and a half inches
long, and the cross bubble is two inch long. Both are in good working order.
Below the telescope is mounted a four inch compass with needle clamp and scale magnifier,
all on a three screw brass tripod leveling mount. The tripod stand is five feet
in height and is mahogany with brass fittings. This fine working set comes with
its level book, specially printed for recording level measurements taken. -
£195
An Aluminium cased and framed Anemometer
by John Davis & Son, Derby,
The silvered dial has 3 subsidiary dials for hundreds, thousands and ten thousands of
feet. The handle has a pawl to engage/disengage the 6 bladed impeller
and a brass
catch is provided in the upper case to cover the re-set wheel. The instrument
has a two position shutter for speeds above and below 30 feet per second and
comes in an aluminum case
Very few of this type of instrument were made as, shortly after the design was
introduced, the adverse effects of aluminum in a coal mining atmosphere were
discovered, making this a very rare anemometer. - £185
A
1 3/4 in. dia. Lacquered brass Optical Square,
engraved "HR" on the case - £45
BOOKS
The World's Minerals
(with 40 colored plates) by L.J.Spencer
- £15
last updated 24/10/2008