Description

Leather covered single draw marine telescope, signed ‘Berge, London, late Ramsden’ (quite faint). Mathew Berge took over from Jesse Ramsden in 1800 and worked until 1819.

The telescope measures 45 inches (115 cm) long and when extended, 38.5 inches (98 cm) with a main lens of 54 mm diameter and gives a magnification of 22x with a clear sharp image when viewing. It has an end cap and an eye piece slider. The unusual brass bulge around the collar by the main lens would have been used for vertical storage in a rack and also as a guard for the object glass. The bulge has a few small dents. An interesting telescope. It comes with a later wooden display stand.