Description

A cased assortment of early 19th C. reflecting telescope parts to include a 5″ (125 mm.) unsilvered, glass primary mirror, an  adjustable, 45 degree tapering mount for a secondary mirror and various eyepieces and eyepiece/mirror mounts in bright brass. The mirror is signed on the separate opaque/frosted backing glass ( with three brass mounting brackets and ring for a wooden barrel ) “Hollands, fecit, London. 107”. The very fine secondary mirror mount has a canister for storage in the box. There is one lens, one alternate mirror ? mount and one pinhole all with coarse threads for an eyepiece extension. It would appear these are parts for a very large Newtonian (side viewing) reflecting telescope. There is one tiny scratch on the unmirrored surface of what would be the primary mirror. Everything else is in perfect, unused condition. The stained pine box has a later trade label for Horne & Thornthwaite and an owner’s? name F.C. Eden(r) applied to the inner lid. The box shows scratches from storage but has both hooks intact for locking. There are a number of “Holland” makers and a reference to Eden in Clifton, spanning many decades. Hard to pin it down without an initial, but fecit is an older Latin term used primarily in the 18th century. The construction of the parts and the box (dove-tailed and screwed) would indicate early to mid-19th century. There were a pair of makers by the name “Holland” operating in London c.1850 (hence Holland’s) ????? Well worth more research.