18th Century Spyglass Telescope Nairne & Blunt

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18th Century Spyglass Telescope Nairne & Blunt - London

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18th Century Spyglass Telescope Nairne & Blunt - London

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Sold Date: 11/12/2007
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Tools

This item is an 18th Century, brass and hardwood, single draw telescope or spyglass. It was made by Nairne & Blunt of London. Based on the construction and styling I would guess this is from the 1780's timeframe. I am not a museum curator so please form your own opinion. The main tube is 10 sided and has a reddish finish which looks original. Overall length is about 37" closed and 41" when focused on a distant object. Tube shows scraps and scratches consistant with age and use but no abuse. T is a slight crack at the eyepiece end about 7" in length. See last photo below. It is not too serious as the wood still stays together on its own. You could easily fix it with a touch of putty on the backside but the new owner can decide on that. The focus tube is in three sections with four lenses and has the maker's mark on the right hand side when oriented right-side-up. The lenses are press fitted into threaded rings, not captive under the rings. A thread-on rear end cap has a rotating cover to protect the lens. The thread on front end cap looks to have once had a brass end plate, perhaps to hold an inscription, but it is long gone. A cardboard cut out now takes its place. The main objective, doublet lens is 1 1/2" in diameter and displays a distinct green tint as is typical of lenses from this time period. The image is about 15X and correctly oriented. Glass is in great condition with just a few odd cleaning marks, no fungus or other damage. Image is quite sharp on center. Everthing looks to be obviously original on this telesope. Overall weight is about 1 3/4 pounds. Please ask any questions before bidding and I will do my best to answer them. Figure on shipping 5 pounds from 98103. I have noticed that the eBay shipping rate calculator is not always correct when compared to the USPS web sight. I do not charge "handling" fees. Insurance is optional but I cannot be responsible once the package is shipped. International PayPal please add a 3% currency exchange fee. I can also use FedEx if that works for you.