It is a daily
occurrence that we are asked to tell them what their item is worth, and for the
appraiser, one that is simply impossible to correctly evaluate for each and
every situation.
There are a lot of variables that go into appraising and
evaluating an item. As a
general overview, these considerations are the product
maker, age, condition including any restoration to fix or enhance an item,
rarity, proven provenance (not here say) and general interest in a product at any
given time, and of course that will most likely change with time.
Appraisals are written for a number of
purposes. Insurance, to correctly appraise for replacement considerations, fair
market value for resale, tax donations, inheritance and equitable distribution
of an estate to heirs to name a few. These values range in number, for instance
an insurance appraisal is its highest price evaluation for replacing an item
similar in quality, age, manufacturer or maker, provenance, condition, rarity
etc. from a source that offers these items for sale.
But, these are not the
same value as one would expect to typically receive since most people selling
items, even on web sites like ebay, are not specialized retail dealers. Also,
if one is offering an item to a dealer, do not expect them to buy it at retail
value nor anywhere close to it, since they are in the business of buying for
resale and need to make a reasonable return on their time, overhead and financial
investment.
Also, appraisers have to physically see an item to appraise it and
cannot give you that information over the phone! Appraisal services are
NOT free and are typically charged by the item or on an hourly basis.
I’ll have to add here, the dollar value
of an old item should be to a collector its least interesting aspect. However, the value does play an important part
of the appraisal evaluation, as shown above, but I do recommend that you
consider first and foremost the desire to own an item and what that item is
worth to you.
BINOCULARS
There are a number of styles of binoculars, and the
description used to refer to them can vary.
Typically, 'field glasses' or ‘binocular telescopes’ are a pair of
identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to
point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes
(binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most are sized to be held
using both hands, although sizes vary widely from opera glasses to large
pedestal mounted military models.
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| Early 20th century field glasses made by chevalier, Paris. |
Unlike a (monocular) telescope, binoculars give users a
three-dimensional image: for nearer objects the two views, presented to each of
the viewer's eyes from slightly different viewpoints, produce a merged view
with an impression of depth.
These are low power, have a very small field of view, and do
not work nearly as well as prism binoculars.
In a smaller size, they are opera glasses, and their value increases if they
are covered with mother of pearl, abalone shell, ivory or other exotic materials. Field glasses are typically the most affordable
unless they are a very unusual form or manufactured by the top makers, such as
the German companies such as Zeiss or Leitz.
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| German made WWII era Carl Zeiss binoculars are one of the top makers of binoculars. |
Prism binoculars. Optical prisms added to the design are
another way to turn the image right way up, usually in a Porro prism or
roof-prisms design.
Porro Prism Binoculars
Porro prism binoculars are named after Italian optician
Ignazio Porro who patented this image erecting system in 1854, which was later
refined by makers like the Carl Zeiss Company in the 1890s. Binoculars of this
type use a Porro prism in a double prism Z-shaped configuration to erect the
image. This feature results in binoculars that are wide, with objective lenses
that are well separated but offset from the eyepieces. Porro prism designs have
the added benefit of folding the optical path so that the physical length of
the binoculars is less than the focal length of the objective and wider spacing
of the objectives gives a better sensation of depth. Thus, the size of
binoculars is reduced.
Roof-Prisms Binoculars
Binoculars using roof prisms may have appeared as early as
the 1870s in a design by Achille Victor Emile Daubresse. Most roof prism
binoculars use either the Abbe-Koenig prism (named after Ernst Karl Abbe and
Albert Koenig and patented by Carl Zeiss in 1905) or the Schmidt-Pechan prism
(invented in 1899) designs to erect the image and fold the optical path. They
have objective lenses that are approximately in line with the eyepieces.
Roof-prisms designs create an instrument that is narrower
and more compact than Porro prisms. There is also a difference in image
brightness. Porro-prism binoculars will inherently produce a brighter image
than roof-prism binoculars of the same magnification, objective size, and
optical quality, because the roof-prism design employs silvered surfaces that
reduce light transmission by 12% to 15%. Roof-prisms designs also require
tighter tolerances for alignment of their optical elements (collimation). This
adds to their expense since the design requires them to use fixed elements that
need to be set at a high degree of collimation at the factory. Porro prisms
binoculars occasionally need their prism sets to be re-aligned to bring them
into collimation. The fixed alignment in roof-prism designs means the
binoculars normally will not need re-collimation.
As a general rule of thumb, German binoculars are considered
the most sought after, followed by American, English; and French, which are
typically good quality but are more common unless of unusual design. Some of
the best names in Japanese optics of WWII or before are often of very high
quality.
Some binoculars are center focus,
with one central wheel that focuses both sides at once. Individual focus binoculars are adjusted by
rotating each eyepiece. Each style is
desired by different collectors. Very large binoculars are always sought
after. Most binoculars are numbered according
to their magnifying power and the diameter of the objective in mm. 12 x 30 optics magnify twelve times and have
30 mm objectives. Some of the older Paris made binoculars lack this
information. Personally, I love the old Parisian binoculars, these classic
heirlooms are usually quite affordable, fun to use and are a great product for
tabletop and bookshelf décor.
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| A grouping of American made binoculars by Bausch and Lomb. |
Another consideration is the ease of use and repairs if
needed. Prism binoculars are easily knocked out of alignment, requiring an
expensive and difficult repair. Pristine
binoculars are worth far more than when dirty or misaligned, and broken or cracked
optics lower the value far more. Cases
help keep binoculars safe and clean but do not add much to the value.
Skipjack Nautical Wares
& Marine Art Gallery
620 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704
www.skipjacknauticalwares.com
757-399-5012
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