Antique & Vintage
Surveying / Surveyor Instruments & Tools

K & E / Keuffel & Esser c. 1919 # 5074 Engineers Mountain & Mining Transit  This model and style transit with its unusual 3 screw leveling base is very unusual. In catalogs it gets an asterisk with explanation that it is only available through special order. K & E called this style of transit off as "Extra Fine" & The serial # is 38611 dating it from 1920 or so.  The tag on the door says the needle is calibrated for Buenos Aries Argentina. There is a tag on the box that also indicates it came from South America. Note that it has 2 auxiliary magnifiers to allow for a more precise reading of the extra fine scales on the different vernier scales.

All motions and thumbscrews operate smoothly. The silvered compass face is near flawless, and the 3 3/4" compass needle swings north. The black oxidized finish is mostly fine. All three level bubbles are good and appear to be original. The optics are clear and good.

There are a few minor apologies. The door on the box has been remounted on the opposite side of the opening. Not sure why and no apparent reason. There is one vertical and 2 horizontal crosshairs. One crosshair above the center horizontal crosshair is broken or unattached. Also, the protective outer cover or guard for the vertical circle / vernier scale is cracked. I see no damage to the wheel itself. Finally, there is a small dent on the end of the scope as pictured.

This rare & desirable surveying instrument will be a highlight of the well rounded surveying instrument collection and will display very nicely in any number of settings.

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ARG-KE-5074

Good +  . . . . . . $750.00

To Order Email:  patentedantiques@gmail.com

Transits / Theodolites by
Young / Buff / Berger / Dietzgen / Lietz & Misc. Makers

W. & L. E. Gurley & Others
Surveying / Surveyor
Compasses / Solar Compasses / Transits

W. & L. E. Gurley Aluminum Solar Compass  Gurley Aluminum Solar Compasses are amongst the rarest of the rare in antique surveying instruments. Gurley made an aluminum version of their solar compass for just a short period starting in the 1890s, and only a handful are known to exist or thought to have been produced.

Gurleys' use of Aluminum during this time period was very unusual.  Aluminum was a relatively new material whose characteristics had not been fully developed, understood, or been perfected. Aluminum from this period was very brittle and prone to crack. The finished compass, while much lighter than one made of brass, is also much more fragile.

One Aluminum Solar Compass came to market at Skinners Auction 15 or so years ago and brought over 17K. I was told it later sold privately for 60K. There is another example currently on eBay as of Sept 2020 priced at 24K. The author of that ad, a well known authority on antique surveying instruments states that his is one of only a few others known.  I had another collector tell me of a couple others he was aware of.

I went inside looking for a date or maker info. I saw no date info. The number 14 was stamped under the plate. The Burt Solar Attachment is also stamped # 14. It could be a serial # or have another explanation. There were some other marks and scratches inside, but they appeared to be reference marks related to assembly.

Inside the original fitted box, in the top compartment, is a dead mint 1920 Gurley Catalog and some other Gurley marked material from the same era. The catalog is still in the original mailing envelope. There are also some newspaper scraps used for packing that are dated 1920. I believe the compass itself dates from the 1890s, some 20 - 30 years earlier, and that the instrument with the 1920 catalog went into storage around 1920. 

The overall condition of this Aluminum Solar Compass is nice. Both level vials are good although one is blue and one clear. All motions and adjustments turn freely. There are two bases. One is a brass leveling head for use with a tripod, and one a brass knuckle joint for mounting the compass to a staff. The striding level is present as is the adjustment bar. The striding level is full, but appears to have a hairline crack in it.

There are also two small sight vane attachments with a fitted spot in the box. The tops of the brass sight vanes are different designs, one rounded and one w/ a peak. The cutouts, patina, and finish match on both. Note that the holes through the aluminum plate under both sight vanes have been slightly enlarged for some reason. This Gurley Aluminum Solar Compass is an amazing instrument that will fit into many different collections. A rare opportunity.

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RS-GUR-ASCOMP-3

Good  . . . . . . $12,000.00

To Order Email:  patentedantiques@gmail.com

Misc. Instruments
Tripods - Sextants - Alidades - Levels - Plain Tables etc.

6 Wild GST20 Wood Tripods These Wild Surveying Instrument GST20 tripods are in good used condition.

A good candidate for a lamp base or other Steampunk application as well.

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LCM-LECI-TPOD

Good  . . . . . . $60.00 / Choice

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

Wild GST20 Wood Tripod This Wild Surveying Instrument GST20 tripod is in good used condition. A good candidate for a lamp base or other Steampunk application as well.

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LCM-WILD-TPOD-18

Good  . . . . . . $65.00           SOLD!!

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

Misc. Surveying Tools
Tripods / Plumb Bobs / Chains & More
for Architects / Engineers & Surveyors

Chesterman 100' Steel Link Chain This 100' Chesterman link chain is in very good overall condition. Handles are marked and tags are present. Light rust. The links are welded.

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AUC-C-100CHN

Good + . . . . . $175.00

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

Drafting Sets & Tools

Hago / West Germany Drafting Set A post WWII German drafting set in very good condition.  All the spots in the velvet lined folding case are full. 

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LA-HAGO-DS

Good + . . . . . . $24.00

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

Survey / Surveying Instrument Catalogs
& Other Catalogues & Literature

A. Lietz San Francisco 1899 Catalog Nice!!

LCM-LIETZ-1893

Good + . . . . . $250.00

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

1908 C. L. Berger & Sons Catalog Nice!!

LCM-1908-BERG

Good + . . . . . $150.00

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

K & E / Keuffel & Esser 1921 Reprint Catalog   Nice!!

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GV-KE-RP

Good +. . . . . . $10.00

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

The Makers Of Surveying Instruments In America Since 1700 by Charles Smart A valuable reference. This is the foremost index of American Surveying Instrument Makers from the early 18th century to the mid 20th.  A must have for surveying instrument collectors.

Volume 1. Published by The Regal Art Press in Troy, New York in 1962. Hardcover, issued without dust jacket. 6.5 x 9.25 inches, 282 pages, approx. 50 b/w photographs and illustrations. Approximately 1,200 companies and individuals are listed, with their working dates, location, and company histories. Interior fine, some stains on cover.

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GV-SMART-BK

Good + . . . . . . $50.00

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

Chaining The Land: A History Of Surveying In California By Francois D. Uzes  Francois D. Uzes began his surveying career in California in 1954. As head of the Boundry Determination Unit, he was responsible for inventorying, surveying, mapping and determining the boundaries of four and a half million acres of state-owned land. He was a collector of old surveying instruments, books and maps. He ran the website CompleteSurveyor, that his son Russ now operates. Contains appendices and an index, with black-and-white illustrations throughout. Nice!!

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GV-UZES-BK

Good +. . . . . . $30.00

To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com

Dating Your Surveying Instrument

Here is a link to a website that can help you date your Transit / Level or other Surveyor's Instrument.
http://www.surveyhistory.org/how_old_is_my_instrument.htm