Antique Wenham Binocular Brass Microscope by Smith Beck & Beck, London – c1864

Antique Wenham Binocular Brass Microscope by Smith Beck & Beck, London – c1864

£795

Antique excellent cosmetic and working condition Wenham binocular instrument serial no. 3945 marked Smith Beck & Beck, London - circa 1864.

Circa

1864

Maker

Smith Beck & Beck

Country of manufacture

UK and Ireland

Categories: Scientific, Microscopy

Description

Offered for sale is an excellent collectable example of a good size antique binocular brass microscope by quality makers Smith Beck & Beck of 31 Cornhill, London.   The instrument is numbered 3945 and bears the details of its makers and serial number on the main tube.  It’s a late example of a Smith Beck & Beck dating to around 1864 according to my dating table source, in Wenham binocular configuration and is in quite amazingly good cosmetic condition considering its age at around 160 years.  From a review of the available literature it seems to be a Wenham variant of the Smith Beck & Beck No. 3 stand with correct Y-shaped foot – see final image in listing photos.
 
Background to Smith Beck & Beck – source Microscope Museum:
 
Smith & Beck was originally established in London, by Richard Beck (1827 – 1866) in association with James Smith (1800 – 1873), and later to be joined by his brother Joseph Beck. Richard and Joseph Beck were nephews of Joseph Jackson Lister, who was a respected British optician and physicist who experimented with achromatic lenses and perfected an optical microscope. In commissioning the manufacture of his improved microscope, Lister worked with James Smith, an employee of the instrument-making firm of William Tulley, to create the stand. James Smith went on to establish his own optical instruments workshop in 1837. Through this relationship, Lister arranged for his nephew, Richard Beck to be an apprentice under Smith in 1843. In 1847, James Smith entered into partnership with Richard Beck, and the company was re-named Smith & Beck. In 1854, the company was renamed to Smith, Beck and Beck, because Richard Beck’s brother Joseph Beck had joined the company in 1851. James Smith retired in 1865 and the company was therefore re-named again as R & J Beck and this name lasted for long time well into the twentieth century.
 
 
This example is a really well-engineered and characterful instrument, suitable for both low-power use and in the right setting as a signature display piece, with a wonderful bright lacquer finish.  It’s endowed with very little in the way of age and use-related patination with lacquer finishes that catch the light beautifully as I hope the listing photos illustrate and do the instrument justice.   It stands about 17 inches tall when racked out to focus a 10x magnification objective as shown fitted in the listing photos, with the eyepiece draw-tubes also extended and as such it also makes a signature technical display piece.
 
In terms of the technical details, the instrument stands on a brass reverse Y-shaped foot with twin uprights leading to the main pivot joint.  There’s an upper limb with a pillar-type arrangement giving a good range of coarse focus travel, which allows low power high working distance objectives to be used for inter alia entomology, botany and similar applications.  The instrument tilts for inclined viewing and holds in position throughout the usable range of inclination.  Coarse focus is via the older-style straight-cut rack and pinion, with smooth action and good rack with no missing teeth with the main binocular tube holding in position as it should on adjustment throughout its working range.  For fine focus there’s a graduated thumb-wheel at the rear of the stage behind the upper limb, which moves the whole upper part of the instrument.  This control with its unusual location is also fully operative with smooth action.

With its optics, this instrument is in binocular configuration with a Wenham-style prism in a shoe-carrier just above objective, which is on an in/out slider and when set to “in” splits the light beam thereby illuminating both optical tubes: collimation is good.  There’s mechanically extendable eyepiece draw-tubes operated by a rack and pinion system which also works well.  Extending the draw-tubes will increase magnification – you also have to re-focus.  

There’s two pairs of top-hat eyepieces:

– 6x magnification
– 10x magnification

There’s two objective lenses in brass by Smith Beck & Beck as under – note the instrument is RMS in terms of objective thread diameter, so plenty of other objectives should also fit:

– 2/3rds inch – approx 10x magnification
– 1/5th inch – approx 30x magnification with adjustment collar
(both objectives have the correct brass canisters)

The magnification range available is therefore around 60x to 300x with the current set of optics.

The rectangular brass stage is attached to the limb at the pivot point and has an integral specimen slider/ledge for holding slides during inclined viewing and when the axes are being moved around which works well.  The slider moves in the y-axis direction and also has a socket for stage fitting tools.

Turning to the sub-stage, we have a brass ring-mount that’s currently fitted with a 3-position wheel-of-stops with positive feel when teh apertures are correctly aligned to the optical axis.

Lighting is via a concave mirror in a brass carrier on a height/rotation adjustable brass support arm and gimbal fitted to the limb tailpiece, with good range of adjustment.  The mirror silvering is in pretty good condition with reflectivity that’s perfectly adequate. 

There’s no case for the instrument at the present time.

The instrument and its controls have been very gently dusted, lightly lubricated and operate smoothly with age-appropriate signs of wear and condition points as described, very much as one would hope to see for an instrument of this quality and age.  With its bright lacquered finishes and the signature double optical tubes, it’ll make a great display piece in the right setting and is also a usable instrument currently set up for low and medium power applications.  It presents really well and I’m certain it will look the part in a library or home office, especially when set up with an appropriate antique slide. 

Owing to the weight and delicacy of this antique microscope, it will be partially dismantled, carefully wrapped for shipping and dispatched by insured courier upon receipt of cleared funds.  UK shipping will be by Royal Mail Special Delivery.

Thanks for looking and just message seller if any additional photos or details of condition are required.

 

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GB Arcboutant Scientific

Arcboutant Scientific based in Glasgow Scotland, with an interest in scientific collectables dating back to 1988. Now making available carefully curated fine examples, principally of antique microscopes and associated scientific equipment by quality English and Continental makers, to collectors world-wide.

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