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Antique c 1780 Spyglass Monocular Telescope NR!
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Antique c 1780 Spyglass Monocular Telescope NR!
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You know, only if you were on your best behavior would Santa bring you this oustanding six-draw monocular spy glass telescope, and at No Reserve! And if you like scientific instruments, you should definitely check out my other auctions for more exquisite items!
As you may already know, monoculars such as this one were used at the opera, race track, or at the park (for discreetly peeking at other people in a distance). These spy glasses were also collapsible, so that you can carry them comfortably in your pocket. This particular spyglass has a lot going for it! First of all, it is a very, very early one, from at least the 18th Century, and you can tell this by the instrument's optics, its method of gilding (layering gold on top of metal), as well as conservative decorations on the brass design. The spy glass is also a six-draw, which is a rare and desireable feature to find, as the vast majority of spy glasses had far fewer draws (or pulls). Typically, the more draws a monocular or telescope has, the more rare and expensive it is to buy. The monocular is most likely English, circa 1780-1800, which puts it square in the reign of King George III (the one who fought the US colonists!). Just in case you're interested, the way to be able to date a scientific instrument of this type is through careful examination of its design, type of gilding, and the glass that makes up the instrument's objective lens. The design as I mentioned is conservative, which typically means early manufacturing (later Victorian spy glasses had elaborate mother-of-pearl decoration, or leather barrels, etc., while the Georgians typically liked more muted designs). The objective lens in this spyglass is also green-ish blue in hue, which is one of the best indicators of an early scientific instrument that actually contains glass, and this is due to glass-making in the 18th century producing greenish glass because of the iron oxide content of the sand used to make the glass - later glass-making typically produced clear, un-colored glass. Also, this monocular was fire-gilded (an ancient technique of gilding with arsenic, which provides for a duller, not as shiny gilding). So all in all, you're looking at a very, very early scientific instrument! This true antique is in remarkable condition, with the objective lens having small wear, but still producing a very clear and oustanding image, and the gilding is good most everyw except on some of the pulls, w it has rubbed off - this is because the monocular is just so old - it's one of the oldest I've had in this form. The monocular is of excellent size, at over 4 inches in length, and the lens is 1.5 inch from side to side. My favorite is the decoration on this lovely item - the main barrel has a dense rope pattern, and t is one little hit in that part - you can see it in the photos. All in all, a very, very early and desireable piece, in remarkable condition! You know the Ebay "snipers" will be out gunning for this one! I decided against putting any reserve on this monocular, because I'm hoping that t are plenty of serious collectors out t who will watch this auction, ensuring that it reach a reasonable and fair auction price. And if it sells for peanuts, then you win a hugely collectible item for literally no money! It's that simple! Merry Christmas! Do take a look at some of my antique auctions this week - many of them at No Reserve! You can see some of these items in the photo icons at the end of this page, click on the icons and you will be taken to the particular auction for that item! Or, just visit my Seller page by doing a search for items "By Seller"! PLEASE READ THE AUCTION RULES CAREFULLY BEFORE BIDDING! IF YOU HAVE ZERO FEEDBACK OR 2 OR MORE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK, YOU MUST CONTACT ME BY EMAIL BEFORE BIDDING!!! PAYMENT: Please make contact within 3 days, and your payment must reach me within 10 days. Your payment options include PayPal (please be a CONFIRMED PayPal user with a CONFIRMED ship-to address... 
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