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Scientific Instruments For Sale
Antique Art Deco Sterling Silver and Bakelite Telephone Child's Toy Baby Rattle
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique figural telephone child's baby rattle is presumed to have been made in the United States in circa 1930 in the period Art Deco style. The toy rattle is composed of a mold...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Scientific Instruments
Materials
Sterling Silver
American Brass Telegraph Mounted on Circular Mahogany Base Bendix NY, Circa 1930
By Bendix Corporation
Located in Charleston, SC
American brass ship's double engine order telegraph mounted on circular mahogany base. E. O. T. has been electrified and has a faint bell ring when changing positions. Bendix Corpor...
Category
1930s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass, Wire
Botanic Modelof a Primrose Flower, Paravia, Italy, 1940
Located in Milan, IT
A botanical maquette for didactic use, depicting a flower of Primrose, Acaulis, Primulaceae. Made of metal, paper, plaster, galalith and wood. Extremely detailed. Paravia, Milan, Ita...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
Bronze Sculptural Thermometer, Long Bodied Lady, Artist Signed and Dated 1911
Located in Petaluma, CA
It wasn't easy trying to title this bronze in one sentence. The first thing about it to my eye is the wonderful whimsy displayed. The fact that it's a thermometer just adds to the jo...
Category
1910s American Art Nouveau Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bronze
Wooden Surveyor's Transit Scope Tripod c.1940
By Dietzgen
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT
Vintage wooden surveyor's transit scope tripod with painted feet and metal top.
CREATOR Possibly Dietzgen.
DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1940s.
MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Industrial Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass, Copper
English Stick Barometer by Loftus, London, 19th Century
Located in Savannah, GA
A late 19th century rosewood stick barometer by Loftus of London.
3 ¼ inches wide by 36 inches tall; 3 inches deep
Category
19th Century English Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Rosewood
Set of Victorian Brass Beam Scales
Located in Altrincham, GB
Set of Victorian Brass Beam Scales, complete with pans and nest of weights - Williams & Sons - Cannon St. London - 21"w x 12"d x 27"h
Category
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Engine Order Telegraph in the Chadburns Style, England Late 19th Century
Located in Labrit, Landes
Large and exceptional solid bronze ships engine order telegraph Made in the Chadburns style, with orders in french. The bells ring but the mechanism needs to be revised.
Shipping:
...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass, Bronze
Antique Teaching Aid - Structure of the Human Skin, Plaster on Wood
By Somso
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Antique Teaching Aid - Structure of the Human Skin, Plaster on Wood
An antique hand-painted anatomical wall model depicting the structure of the human skin with roots of the hair. T...
Category
Early 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plaster, Wood, Paper
French Louis XVI Style Gilded and Painted Wood Barometer from the Early 1800s
Located in Atlanta, GA
This French Louis XVI style barometer and thermometer features an exquisite carved giltwood crest with delicate foliage motifs. Below the crest, the thermometer, encompassed in a black painted body, sits atop the round barometer...
Category
Early 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Glass, Wood
English Brass & Leather Hand Held Telescope
Located in Queens, NY
English (19th Century) brass and leather hand held telescope
Category
19th Century British Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Bronze Weight, 18th Century
Located in Madrid, ES
Weight of the 18th century. Bronze.
Bronze weight, incomplete, with the container glass and two of the smallest, all decorated in cold with incised and...
Category
18th Century European Neoclassical Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bronze
Silver Magnifying Glass with a Feather Handle Letter Opener
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very nice silver magnifying glass with a feather handle, which could be used for opening letters as well. The magnification is good and works well. A compliment to any desk or work...
Category
20th Century Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Silver
Solid Boxwood Extra Long Plow Plane c.1850
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT
Solid boxwood carpenter's wood plane with steel and bronze accents. Stamped "Krautz" on both sides.
CREATOR Possibly Casey Kitchel & Company.
DATE OF MANUFACTURE c....
Category
19th Century Industrial Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bronze, Steel
$695 Sale Price
22% Off
Imperial standard Avoir weights by De Grave of London for Lancashire dated 1906
Located in London, GB
A set of three Imperial standard Avoir weights by De Grave of London, for Lancashire County Council, dated 1906.
5, 10, & 20 lbs.
Indenture number: 2757.
Stamped with Royal Cipher...
Category
Early 20th Century English Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Pair of American Country Antique Cast Metal Floral Design Rectangular Coin Banks
Located in Queens, NY
"Pair of Antique American (early 20th Century) cast bronze coin banks with rectangular forms with flared tops and bottoms, featuring floral designs with pink and green painted detail...
Category
Early 20th Century American American Colonial Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bronze
Russian Electromechanical Wheel-Based Cipher Machine Fialka M 125
Located in Madrid, ES
M-125 Fialka-electromechanical wheel-based cipher machine
USSR rotor-based cipher machine
M-125, codename Fialka (Russian: ??????), was an el...
Category
1950s Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
Sundial with Compass and Case, Bronze, Bion, Nicholas, Paris, 18th Century
By Nicholas Bion
Located in Madrid, ES
Sundial with compass and case. Bronze. BION, Nicholas. Paris, 18th century.
Polygonal sundial with a bird-shaped gnomon and engraved triangular piece, which presents, on one side, ...
Category
18th Century French Neoclassical Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bronze, Other
Render by Callum Campbell
Located in Geneve, CH
Render by Callum Campbell
Objects for self-collection
Signed and numbered
Dimensions: W 24 x D 8.8 H 36 cm
Materials: Brass, stainless steel
Finish: Polished
Physical appearance...
Category
2010s Australian Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass, Stainless Steel
$4,876 / item
Quality Antique Victorian Burr Walnut Carved Banjo Barometer
Located in Suffolk, GB
Quality antique Victorian burr walnut carved banjo barometer having a quality burr walnut carved shaped case with a 10 inch silvered engraved dial, original hands, thermometer and a ...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Walnut
$1,967 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Tricycle
Located in Napa, CA
Category
20th Century Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
$2,000
Antique Teaching Aid - Median Incision of the Human Head by PHYWE
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Antique Teaching Aid - Median Incision of the Human Head by PHYWE
A great antique hand-painted and hand lettered anatomical model. A median incision of the head for class. It is mad...
Category
Early 20th Century German Other Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plaster, Wood
1986 Enorme Telephone by Ettore Sottsass for Enorme
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A perfectly postmodern telephone designed by the Memphis Milano master, Ettore Sottsass, and produced in 1986. The Enorme telephone was the result of ...
Category
Late 20th Century Post-Modern Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
Brass Scale w/Weights
Located in Houston, TX
Vintage weight balance scale with counterweights. This includes three counter weights and the counter weights plate holder.
Category
20th Century European Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
$1,375
An anatomical plaster model of the section of the head, Austria 1870.
Located in Milan, IT
An anatomical model of the section of the head, cast out of plaster, signed “ K.K.S.T.G.S.C.H Innsbruck, in a very good condition and with original patina. Anatomical study purpose. ...
Category
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plaster
J H Steward Lord Bury Brass Telescopwe with Leather Case London Ca. 1870
By steward
Located in Los Angeles, CA
J H Steward Brass Telescope. The Lord Bury Telescope comes with a leather case. The brass and leather both. are very patinated. Not only is the brass tarnished, but there are a f...
Category
19th Century British Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
Swid Powell Magnifying Glass in Original Box
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Stunning Richard Meier designed magnifying glass for Swid Powerll, having ebony wood handle, silver plate and glass, plus original sleeve and box.
Category
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Silver Plate
19century English Balancing Scale
By G. None
Located in Tarrytown, NY
19century English balancing scale.
Category
19th Century European Industrial Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Iron
Mid-Twentieth Century Aluminum Gyroscope Compass Scientific Tool
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Manually manipulated blue and silver anodized aluminum gyroscope composed of two gimbal rings, a central rotor, spine axle, frame and base (ca. late 1940s/early 1950s, USA).
The rotor in this case is a cube representing azimuth - the angle between North, measured clockwise around the observer's horizon, and a celestial body (sun, moon). Hence, the presence of both "N" and "E" compass directions on the rotor.
The gimbals denote "elevation" and "roll."
Interesting piece which serves as both scientific tool and modernist decorative object...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Aluminum
Anatomical model: a decomposable eyeball, SOMSO, Germany circa 1950.
Located in Milan, IT
Anatomical model for schools, educational use, depicting a decomposable eyeball, complete in all its parts, made out of polyvinyl chloride, plaster, glass and painted paper, metal ho...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
19th Century Frankstein Wall Art Throw Switch Slate Brass New Haven Mfg Co
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Bolt it on the wall for decor on set on a table for conversation. A large example by New Haven Manufacturing Co. of Connecticut, c.1890s.
L 14.5 x W 5.5 x Thk 3 in
Category
1890s American Industrial Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Slate, Brass
Oak Barograph by C P Goerz
Located in Cheshire, GB
Art Deco barograph by C P Goerz. The oak and plated metal Barograph encase with rounded ends. The mechanical eight-day movement is housed in the drum, fi...
Category
Early 20th Century German Scientific Instruments
Materials
Oak
$986 Sale Price
43% Off
Vintage Sun Lite II Speed Flash and Portable Battery Pack in Brown Leather Case
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage Sun Lite II Speed Flash and Portable Battery Pack in Brown Leather Case. Listing includes all the accessories in the photos. The brown leather case alone is very nice. Circa ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Other Scientific Instruments
Materials
Leather
Surgical instrument: a scalpel, late 19th century, United States 1900.
Located in Milan, IT
A surgical instrument from the late 19th early 20th century. An iron scalpel. With brass handle. Tiemann & Co, American manufacturing. New York, United States circa 1900.
Category
Early 20th Century American Scientific Instruments
Materials
Iron
Compass with Pocket Sundial, with Case, Bronze, Butterfield, Michael '1635-1724'
Located in Madrid, ES
Compass with pocket sundial, with case. Bronze. BUTTERFIELD, Michael (1635-1724). Paris, circa 1700.
Pocket sundial made of engraved metal, with a gno...
Category
Early 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal, Bronze, Other
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century French Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century French Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
Large Vintage Mongolian Wooden Math Abacus with Painted Wooden Balls
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Large Vintage Mongolian Wooden Math Abacus with Painted Wooden Balls. Item features Painted wooden balls in red, pink, gray, orange, blue, yellow, green and brown. Circa Mid 20th Cen...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Export Scientific Instruments
Materials
Wood
Curiosity Cabinet Collection of Shells, Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
18th Century Louis XVI Giltwood Wall Barometer
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A beautifully carved and giltwood 18th century Louis XVI wall barometer having its original mercury tube and mechanism but presently with the mercury missing.
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Giltwood
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century French Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
French 18th Century Mortar and Pestle
Located in Round Top, TX
A sensational 18th century mortar and pestle in iron with its base constructed from a solid block of walnut. A stunning sculpture for any tradition...
Category
Mid-18th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Iron
1920s Dental Paperweight Sculpture Glass Slab Temperature Gauge Thermometer
By Honeywell, S.T. Dupont
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Rare item from the L.D. Caulk Co. of Milford Delaware. New old stock, New in box. A true Relic from yesteryears building technics. A beautiful desktop sculptural object. Temp rises w...
Category
1920s American Industrial Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Glass
Holland Circle by Baumann and Kinzelbach
Located in New Orleans, LA
This intriguing item is almost certainly a Holland Circle by German scientific instrument makers Baumann & Kinzelbach. The Holland Circle, sometimes referred to as a Dutch Circle, was used in land surveying and is a precursor to the theodolite, an optical instrument for measuring angles. Baumann and Kinzelbach were based in Stuttgart, Germany, and in addition to crafting surveying instruments...
Category
19th Century German Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bronze
18th Century French Giltwood Barometer
Located in Sheffield, MA
18th century French neoclassical barometer from the Louis XVI period. Now strictly a stunning decorative object with great style. It is no long...
Category
18th Century and Earlier French Louis XVI Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Glass, Giltwood
Brass Boat Compass in Varnished Wood Box
Located in Norwell, MA
Classic twentieth century boat compass by American maker Wilcox Crittenden of Middletown Connecticut. The gimballed compass has been meticulously polished and lacquered. This classic...
Category
1950s North American Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Vintage Plaster Anatomical Skull Model
Located in Houston, TX
Interesting vintage plaster anatomical skull model. This great plaster skull bust model is in very good condition and dates to the 1940s.
Perfect in an ...
Category
1940s Other Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plaster
Anatomical model: an external and inner ear, Dresden, Germany 1920.
Located in Milan, IT
Anatomical model for schools, educational use, depicting an external and internal ear, made of painted papier-mâché and plaster, all placed on a base of fruit wood painted black. Mad...
Category
Early 20th Century German Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plaster, Fruitwood, Parchment Paper
18th Century English Mahogany Cased Stick Barometer by Dolland of London
By Dolland
Located in Dublin, IE
An exceptional late 18th century mahogany cased stick barometer by Dolland of London, The mahogany case of a very solid construction and with a superbly made turned mahogany cistern ...
Category
1790s English Georgian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Steel
Rare 17th Century Japanese Export Lacquer Medical Instrument Box
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A rare Japanese export lacquer medical instrument box
Edo-period, 1650-1700
L. 19 x W. 6 x H. 8.5 cm
This unconventionally shaped lacquer b...
Category
17th Century Japanese Edo Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Gold
Early 20th Century English Telescoping Surveyors Measure
Located in Burton, TX
Telescoping surveyors measuring staff made of wood with brass fittings. Marked 'Houghton-Butcher Mfg. Co. Ltd., London 1918 N0. 1.195'. Lovingly cared...
Category
Early 20th Century English Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
$560 Sale Price
20% Off
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shells circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...
Category
Early 20th Century French Scientific Instruments
Materials
Shell
Wall-Mounted Large Weather Station in Art Nouveau Style Carved Walnut Belgium
Located in Verviers, BE
Wall-mounted weather station in carved walnut made in Liege Belgium by G.Tart.
High quality mechanism with Jeweled movement barometer and thermometer (in centigrade)
Unusual design ...
Category
1910s Belgian Art Nouveau Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Walnut
Brass Boat Compass in Varnished Wood Box
Located in Norwell, MA
Classic early 20th century boat compass by American Maker. The gimballed compass has been meticulously polished and lacquered. This classic marine instrument is fitted to its origina...
Category
1940s North American Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
American Mahogany and Brass Ship Binnacle, Riggs & Brothers, Phila. Circa 1880
By Riggs & Brothers
Located in Charleston, SC
American mahogany ship binnacle with a brass-mounted dome helmet, internal dry compass by Ritchie of Boston, flanking removable burners with the original fonts and resting on an octa...
Category
1880s American American Empire Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Olivetti Divisumma 18, designed by Mario Bellini, 1973
Located in Firenze, IT
The Divisumma 18 is a portable electronic calculator made by Olivetti in 1973 through which the company entered the portable electronics market.
Thanks to the design of Mario Bellin...
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plastic, Rubber
Hamilton 17-Jewel Full Hunter Pocket Watch, c.1925 – Gold-Filled Case
Located in Worcester, GB
Hamilton 17-Jewel Full Hunter Pocket Watch, c.1925 – Gold-Filled Case
A beautifully preserved early 20th-century full hunter pocket watch by the Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pe...
Category
Early 20th Century American Scientific Instruments
Materials
Gold Plate
Vintage, New and Antique Scientific Instruments
Decorating with vintage, new and antique scientific instruments, as well as other authentic collectibles and curiosities that can be found on 1stDibs, presents an opportunity to create a unique, natural history museum-like atmosphere in your home that can provoke conversation as often as it pays tribute to how far we’ve come in understanding our world.
The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration) refers to a period during the 15th to 18th centuries that saw Europeans taking to the high seas to explore, trade and conquer various regions of the world. What we know about geography, the advancement of sea vessels and the development of scientific instruments all broadened significantly during this time.
With every new finding about our world, scientists invented tools to measure and record. While many of these objects are now obsolete, they are essentially works of art and have a rich history. Scientific instruments of a bygone era represent how far science and technology have advanced.
If you’re interested in introducing antique scientific instruments and tools to your decor to add contrast or draw attention to otherwise unexplored corners of your living room or dining room, there are many options to consider as far as textures and colors go. Like any curious decorative object that draws attention to your home library or mantel, vintage scientific instruments will likely add spirit to any conversation that might take place over cocktails or dinner.
Create an intriguing focal point with Georgian scientific instruments, such as stick barometers with mahogany cases or lacquered brass telescopes. These items stem from an era named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who ruled England in succession starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign, which lasted until 1837). Just as there was beautiful jewelry produced during the period that today is coveted by collectors, there is much to be found in the collectibles and curiosities realm too.
Mid-century modern scientific instruments also capture a period of rapid progress, representing groundbreaking discoveries that defined the 20th century. Wouldn’t antique anatomical models of the 1950s pair well with your eye-catching abstract paintings, George Nelson clock or Florence Knoll sofa?
Whether you’re looking for a way to showcase your passion for chemistry or aviation or are making room in your foyer for a breathtaking industrial-style electronic time tower manufactured by Patek Philippe, 1stDibs offers a collection of vintage, new and antique scientific instruments that includes topographic tools, laboratory equipment and more.
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Optician Sign
Stanley Tool
Surveyors Level
Torricelli Barometer
Antique Butcher Hook
Antique Cast Iron Weighing Scales
Antique Medical Box
Antique Medical Devices
Antique Metal Wood Planes
Antique Syringes
Antique Wooden Grinder
Avery Scales
German Sundial