Scientific Instruments

Interest in wireless telegraphy, that was piqued when Guglielmo Marconi successfully sent a message from Poldhu, Cornwall to St John’s, Newfoundland in 1910, prompted many amateurs to build and develop their own sets based on the ‘Coherer’ principle for sending and receiving Morse code.

The 40 trays of British butterflies in this handsome mahogany four-section cabinet by JJ Hill & Son of London were collected by Geoffrey Alfred Cole.

This brass cased mining aneroid pocket barometer altimeter, c.1885, was almost certainly a one-off order or commission.

De Baecque & Associés will be selling this monumental astronomical clock standing 9ft 11in (3m) high on June 30.

The Oak Interior sale at Bishop & Miller in Stowmarket on June 1-2 includes this ‘important and exceptional’ Edward IV bronze measure.

Converse Auctions in Pennsylvania will be offering the clock collection of Willis R Michael (1894-1969) in its online auction on May 19.

This rare US patent model, offered for sale by German ‘technical antiques’ specialist Auction Team Breker (21.8% buyer’s premium), aimed to change the way messages were passed via the telegraph in the mid 19th century.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

A substantial Victorian monocular microscope auctioned by Flints (25% buyer’s premium) dated 1858 and 1863 on the objectives was not only a good bit of kit with lots of accessories included but came signed with the owner’s name in several places.

Jason Clarke Antiques has for sale at £8500 this unusually large 9in diameter, c.1770, universal equinoctial ring dial by Dollond of London

The famous firm of Negretti & Zambra was formed in London in 1850 by the Italian-born Henry Negretti and Joseph Warren Zambra

Thomas Edison’s electric pen might not have flourished as planned for the purpose of duplicating documents but if you have a tattoo you can be thankful.

Early stereoscopic images featured in the collection of a dealer curious about how technology transformed life in Victorian times

The Winter Maritime Sale at Eldreds on February 28-March 1 includes an 18th century Islamic brass quadrant made in the Maghreb region of north-west Africa.

Steam engine made in France and later installed in Sussex museum graced same exhibition as the Eiffel Tower

This instrument dates from the founding days of one of the world’s most significant aerospace manufacturers: Short Brothers

The Paris firm of Roullet & Decamps was famous for automata, walking and moving dolls and toys.

Dreweatts in Newbury has for sale this fine Victorian ‘weather station’ with a full provenance and a portrait of its former owner.

Georg Merz and Joseph Mahler took over the Utzschneider & Fraunhofer company in 1839.

The slide rule shown here belonged to Dhunjeebhoy Rustomjee, who came from a fine line of Indian master ship builders in ancestry.