R&J Beck Ltd. Antique Brass British Harbormasters Telescope Vintage Ealing

Description

Up for sale is a beautiful antique English lacquered brass harbormasters telescope with a fascinating story.
Made by R & J Beck Ltd. of London, nearly identical versions of this telescope were used by harbormasters to identify far distant cargo ships in the days before ship-to-shore radio. This allowed the harbormaster to give advance notice to the crews that were needed for docking operations. With the advent of radio in the early 1920's, the harbormasters telescope became obsolete almost overnight. As a consequence, R & J Beck, a principal supplier of such telescopes, found themselves with a stockpile of new, unsaleable telescope parts. Ten or twenty sets of brass parts were relegated to a warehouse and forgotten.
After R & J Beck had been acquired by the Ealing Corporation in 1968, a routine inventory brought the parts back to light. Ealing decided to make a small number of telescopes using these original brass parts. For this purpose, custom made modern coated lenses were married with the original Beck parts. These "resurrected" telescopes were offered as retirement gifts for the world's most prominent astronomers. This is one of those telescopes!
The telescope has 32-power performance with essentially flawless optics. The early 20th century brass scrollwork is beautifully detailed. The brass barrel is inscribed "R. & J. Beck Ltd., London, Established 1837". The telescope stands 165cm high and weighs a substantial 21kg.
R & J Beck was formed as Smith & Beck in 1847 by Richard Beck and James Smith. In 1865 the company was renamed R & J Beck with the retirement of James Smith. 30 years later in 1895, R & J Beck was incorporated as a limited company and took the name R & J Beck Ltd. Their products, especially their microscopes, were admired at the Great Exhibition of 1851. The company became a subsidiary of the Ealing Corporation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1968.
This exact telescope is in gorgeous condition with only minor wear and tear on its brass body and very minor marks & scratches on its wood tripod. It should be noted that the telescope itself is secured to the brass saddle with two knurled brass nuts which are included, but were not shown in the photographs. The two threaded studs visible underneath the telescope body are fully covered by the brass nuts when they're installed.
Included also is a brass objective cap for the front of the telescope. No eyepiece cover is included.
Glass is in excellent condition and is beautifully clear. Focus mechanism operates smoothly with no issues whatsoever. The rotation of the telescope on the tripod is smooth and flawless as well.
Due to size and weight, shipping is being set at a fixed 5 including insurance anywhere in the USA. The tripod will be securely wrapped with packing material and boxed in double-thick cardboard. The telescope itself will be shipped carefully packed inside a custom-built wooden crate.
Local pickup or inspection in San Diego, California is absolutely welcomed.
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, and be sure to check my feedback.