Description

For sale, this 3 draw telescope is 28″ long and nearly 2″ diameter, made to a classic design by Dollond in London. All lenses are perfect, and the first draw splits into three sections to hold the four lenses of the eyepiece section. Possibly used in the Armed Forces, but these units were also sold to estate owners. Closed, the length is 9.5″. The view is perfect, and the scope gives a high magnification. The eye lens has a sliding cover, which brings across a ruby filter – used to allow the user to look at the Sun for monitoring eclipses etc, so this could have been designed for use on a scientific expedition. The sliders between the draws are made according to the Dollond patent, with mounting shoulders separated from the mounting thread, making the extended scope very stable. From the design, the scope dates from the period 1790-1800.

Over 200 years old there is some external damage which does not affect the function of the scope: the wooden barrel has a crack, arising from an obvious impact point, where the damage has been filled and levelled off. Also the first draw has a couple of knocks to the brass. Some of the screws attaching the brass to the barrel are missing, but there is no movement in these joints.