A good quality and highly original antique microscope dating from the mid 19th Century. The microscope parts are made of lacquered brass and it sits on a heavy horse shoe shaped base. The whole microscope tilts and it has a rack and pinion focus. It has a circular shaped stage with an adjustable slide holder. There are a set of tweezer grips on the side of the microscope to hold a specimen and below the stage is a large adjustable mirror and a revolving pinwheel filter.
The microscope comes with a full set of lenses including 4 objective lenses in brass cases (1/4", 1/2", 1" and 3") and two eyepiece lenses. It also comes with a couple of other filters including a blue glass one and a prism shaped one. There is also an adjustable convex bullseye on a brass stand.
The microscope comes in its original fitted wooden box with sections to hold the lenses and accessories plus a slide drawer. The box has a good quality brass carrying handle and is a strong sturdy box with a nice patina, although the lock is missing. The box measures approximately 15 1/4" (39cm) tall x 9" (23cm) wide x 7" (18cm) deep.
The microscope appears to be in good working order and I have set it up and tested it with a few old slides. The pictures are clear and crisp and the microscope is easy to focus. I'm sure the lenses would probably benefit from a light clean and it is really being sold as a collectable item rather than an accurate scientific instrument.
Overall the microscope is in good condition for its age and all parts move smoothly as they should. It has of course been used and will have normal signs of wear. There are some areas of tarnishing and minor wear on the brass lacquer and some general knocks and light marks around the base but nothing detrimental. It has been cleaned and the brass lightly polished and it displays very nicely.
