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Scientific Instruments For Sale
Period: 19th Century
Period: 1950s
Pike and Elliman English Brass Scale
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Pike and Elliman brass shop scale, dating to the 1880's. Nice original condition. Class b to weigh up to 12oz. Stamped on brass tray pike & E 14 new, 32 Gi ...
Category
1880s English Early Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
$600 Sale Price
20% Off
A jaw with teeth made of painted papier-maché, Italy 1880.
Located in Milan, IT
Anatomical model for schools for educational use depicting a jaw with teeth, made of painted papier-mâché, all placed with the support of a cylindrical iron rod on a round base in bl...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Iron
Antique W.& T. Avery English Victorian Brass & Porcelain Balance Beam Scale
By W & T Avery
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Please message us with your zip code to request a more reasonable domestic U.S. shipping quote.
Antique W.& T. Avery English Victorian Brass, Cast Iron & Porcelain Balance Beam Scal...
Category
Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass, Iron
Rare paradoxical planetarium of Jupiter and the Medici satellites, France 1840.
Located in Milan, IT
This rare paradoxical planetarium demonstrates the rotation and revolution motion of the system of the planet Jupiter and the Medici satellites. The base is made of ebonized fruit wo...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
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
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
Anatomical model for class: a heart, France 1890.
Located in Milan, IT
Anatomical model for class, depicting an animal’s heart, made out of painted papier mache. Ebonized wooden base, square shape. France circa 1890.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Wood
Antique, French, mercantile seed and grain decimal scales. Circa late 1800's
Located in CARENTAN-LES-MARAIS, FR
This beautiful decimal scale works on the principal of a ratio of 10:1. First developed in the late 1800's, they were used to facilitate the weighing of heavier items, without the ne...
Category
Late 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Iron
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
Antique stereoscopic table for brothels, Germany, late 19th century.
Located in Milan, IT
Antique stereoscopic table viewer used in brothels, to view erotic images printed on paper for a fee. This device consists of a parallelepiped in fruit wood painted black, with the s...
Category
Late 19th Century German Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal, Brass
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
British Admiralty Mark III Clinometer
Located in Norwell, MA
Clinometer inspectors forty five degree mark III admiralty pattern instrument. Made by E.R. Watts & Son, London. No 23374. Fitted to a mahogany case with leather strap. 5" H x 13" W ...
Category
1950s Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
A travel aphotecary with oak wood box, England 1880.
Located in Milan, IT
Small travel apothecary with oak wood box, glass containers inside and bone spoon. England circa 1880.
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Glass, Wood
Anatomical Print on Paper, Depicting a Fetus Skeleton, France, 19th Century
Located in Milan, IT
A rare couple of French anatomical lithographs of the fetus skeleton, in a vintage metal frame. Great quality and artistic composition.
Printe...
Category
Early 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
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
Brass aneroid table and wall barometer England late 19th century.
Located in Milan, IT
Brass aneroid or holosteric barometer, table and wall-mounted, late 19th-century English manufacture.
Good condition, signs of use fully functional.
Measurements cm 5x12.5 - 1.9x4....
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
English Mahogany Banjo Barometer. Circa 1830
Located in Charleston, SC
English mahogany banjo barometer with centered brass finial in scrolled pediment, glass encased thermometer, ebonized reeded mirror, original ...
Category
19th Century British Antique Scientific Instruments
Wooden box containing a travel surgical set, signed Galante, Paris 1870.
Located in Milan, IT
Oak wood box, containing a set of 8 iron surgical instruments, equipped with black horn and rosewood handles. Signed H.Galante & fils. Paris, France circa 1870.
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Iron
Antique European Enameled Postal Scale with Brass
Located in Miami, FL
Antique European Enameled Postal Scale with Brass, this desk top pendulum scale is a quirky and fun addition to your collection of antique scales. Bought from a collector, it’s made ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal, Brass, Enamel
Large Impressive 1800s Kalidoscope
Located in Peekskill, NY
This scope is unsigned and was acquired from a European collector. It could be American but I'm guessing its not. The eyepiece and turning mechanism are brass. The tube is canvas wra...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Industrial Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Fruitwood
19th Century Pocket Telescope Gilt Brass And Faux Tortoiseshell Spyglass
Located in Norwich, GB
19th Century pocket telescope gilt brass and faux tortoiseshell spyglass, each friction fitting is tapering and collapsible with millegrain edges.
In good condition, showing some li...
Category
Mid-19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Antique English Victorian Brass Postal Scale, Circa 1870-1880.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Handsome Antique English Victorian Brass Postal Scale, Circa 1870-1880.
Category
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
19th C. Scientific Optical Mirror in Black Hardwood Frame on Tripod Brass Stand
Located in Haarlem, NL
A large 19th Century scientific optical mirror in round blackened hardwood frame on brass articulated tripod stand. The mirror looks concave or convex shaped, but if you look closely...
Category
19th Century British Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
$1,000 Sale Price
20% Off
Ernst Plank Steam Engine
Located in Madrid, ES
The Ernst Plank steam engine is a fascinating and remarkable piece, especially the Union model with dimensions of 43x14x14 cm. Manufactured by the Ernst Plank brand, this steam engin...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Copper
$1,716 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century English Cased Drawing Set Length of Longest Tool
Located in Buchanan, MI
An 19th century English cased drawing set length of longest tool. Measures: 6 1/4 inches.
Category
19th Century English Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
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
Early 20th Century Anatomical Plaster Medical Torso Figure
Located in London, GB
Early 20th century anatomical plaster medical torso figure
This early 20th century life size anatomical medical torso would have originally been used as...
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plaster
A 19th-Century dental elevator.
Located in Milan, IT
A dental instrument. A 19th-Century iron elevator. A baluster-turned shank with double claw, fitted with a horn handle and screwdriver. British manufacturer. London circa 1850.
Category
Early 19th Century English Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Iron
Kilgore Authentic Anatomical Preparation Human Skull
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Prepared by legendary medical supply company Kilgore International, this is an advanced anatomical reference human skull!
An exceptional authentic vint...
Category
1950s American Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bone
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
End 19th Century Antique Magnetic Topographic Compass Made in Brass and Oak
Located in Milan, IT
Magnetic topographic compass, of oak and brass; instrument consisting of a magnetized needle free to rotate on a horizontal plane, marking with the tip of the needle the direction of magnetic north, compass card with eight winds complete with goniometric circle divided into 360 °, complete with the compass needle lock. Italian manufacture of the late 19th century. Very good condition. Measure 3.1x3.1 height 1.
Shipping is insured by Lloyd's London; our gift box is free (look at the last picture).
The invention of the compass is mysterious but it is well known that magnetite was discovered in Magnesia, a city of Asia Minor. We can find the first indications about the use in Europe of the magnetic force for orientation at the end of the XII century...
Category
1890s Italian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Oak
19th Century Bismuthinite Mineral Natural History Specimen Curio
Located in Lowestoft, GB
A lustrous silver Bismuthinite specimen, housed in its original glass and turned ebonised display bubble.
Bismuth also known as "white mass" It is a post-transition metal and one o...
Category
19th Century English Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Natural Fiber, Blown Glass, Pine
20th Century Soviet Cold War Anti Aircraft Binoculars c.1950
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
An impressive set of highly polished Cold War-era anti-aircraft binoculars from the former USSR, crafted in the 20th Century. Accompanied by a sleek and adjustable metal tripod, thes...
Category
1950s Russian Other Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
French Rococo Style Gilt Bronze Clock and Barometer by Charpentier
Located in London, GB
Designed in the French Rococo style, this clock and barometer set have been beautifully ornamented with scrolling foliate gilt bronze forms. The two are diamond shaped, with symmetri...
Category
Late 19th Century French Rococo Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Enamel, Ormolu, Bronze
Antique Napoleon III Parisian Giltwood Barometer, "Bodeur a Paris", Circa 1830
Located in Dallas, TX
Napoleon III style, sometimes referred to as The Second Empire style, was greatly influenced by the Neoclassical aspects of the Louis XVI period. This giltwood barometer from Paris w...
Category
1830s French Napoleon III Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Glass, Wood, Giltwood
1891 Antique LM Ericsson Swedish Victorian Walnut Wall Telephone Crank Magneto
Located in Sweden, SE
Rare antique model 1889 wall telephone by L.M. Ericsson & Co, Stockholm, Sweden. Serial #30929 was manufactured in 1891 with the last service label from 1905. Similar to model AB210,...
Category
Late 19th Century Swedish Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass, Steel, Iron
French Late 19th Century Louis XVI St. Giltwood Barometer
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A very handsome and decorative French late 19th century Louis XVI st. giltwood barometer. Fine carvings of scrolls and foliate throughout with a lyre shape above the painted barometer...
Category
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Giltwood
19th Century Grand Tour Antique Handmade Bronze Mortar with Pestle
Located in Roma, IT
19th-century grand tour antique handmade bronze mortar with pestle. This fantastic piece has an original patina.
The pestle is 9.05 inc high wit...
Category
Mid-19th Century European Grand Tour Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Bronze
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
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
Mechanical solar system with Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon and Mars 1870
Located in Milan, IT
Tellurium or representative and demonstrative mechanical model of the solar system composed of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon and Mars, realized by the Prague geographer and ...
Category
1870s Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
English Brass Urn & Marble Base Scale . Circa 1815
Located in Charleston, SC
English brass scale with centered urn , feather pointer , brass pans, marble base , and terminating on brass ball feet. All original . Early 19t...
Category
1810s English George III Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Marble, Brass
19th Century Antique Bow Front Barometer by J. Somalvico & Co of London
Located in Devon, GB
A good William IV period rosewood and mother-of-pearl bow fronted stick barometer with its original bowed glass thermometer by this fine London make...
Category
19th Century English William IV Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Rosewood
19th Century Grey-Brown Italian Oversized Marble Mortar & Pestle, Antique Décor
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Early 19th Century, a set of an oversized mortar made of hand crafted white marble with a wooden Oakwood pestle, in good condition. This fun set was on display in a pharmacy in Milan...
Category
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Marble
19th Century French Giltwood Barometer
Located in Richmond, VA
19th Century French giltwood barometer with working thermometer. Well executed carvings of scrolls, swags and bounty all finished in gold gil...
Category
19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Giltwood
French Planetary Clock InGided Brass And Marble Planetarium Tellurium
Located in Madrid, ES
French Planetary Clock In Golden Brass And Tellurium Marble, Planetarium
Rare French planetary from the 19th century in brass and Royal Red marble base...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Marble
$17,660 Sale Price
20% Off
Rosewood Watch Holder, Small Pocket Watch Stand with Applied Decoration
Located in Oxfordshire, GB
Rosewood watch holder.
Small pocket watch stand with applied decoration. A must have item for those who have a pocket watch. Not only is the pocke...
Category
1840s English Regency Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Wood
Antique Brass Scottish Surveyor's Compass in Fitted Wooden Box
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This antique surveyor's compass originates from Scotland and dates to approximately 1880 and made in the period Victorian style. The compass case is composed of solid brass with a me...
Category
Late 19th Century Scottish Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal, Brass
Wooden compass box with rosewood veneer circa 1870s
Located in Milan, IT
Box of compasses wood with rosewood veneer from the second mid-19th century, complete with key. In the center of the lid a rhombus-shaped brass medallion is engraved with the name...
Category
1870s Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
French Shop Wrapping Paper Dispenser, Mid Century Retro Paper Roll Cutter
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
French Shop Wrapping Paper Dispenser, Mid Century Retro Paper Roll Cutter
An unusual and very useful item, it has a green tubular metal frame with broad spanned feet for stability, ...
Category
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
A terrestral globe signed J. Lebegue & C, Paris France 1880.
Located in Milan, IT
A Medium-sized terrestrial globe, made of papier-mâché, finished with pastille and completed by the application of paper spindles imprinted with intaglio printing. Color touch-ups. F...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Fruitwood
Set of a Barometer and a Clock, 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Set of a barometer and a clock, 19th century
Set of a barometer and a clock in carved wood, from the 19th century, Louis XVI style, Napoleon III period, great decoration.
The mechanism of the clock is missing, but it is possible on request to put an old clock...
Category
1870s European Louis XVI Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Wood
$5,303 / set
Botanic Model Brendel, Germany, 1890
Located in Milan, IT
A rare botanical model of the Brendel, Triticum Vulgare N.11A (Gramineae). The round base in ebonized wood holds the botanical model which reveals the fl...
Category
Late 19th Century German Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Plaster, Wood
19th Century Dental Tool Kit
Located in London, GB
19th century dental tool kit
A rare set of 19th century dental tool kit, all tools are encased in a wooden box with brass latch and lined with a worn red...
Category
19th Century British Georgian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Metal
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
Small gilded bronze mortar and pestle, Italy
Located in Cuneo, Italy (CN)
Small antique mortar with original pestle, chiseled in gilded bronze with period decorations, antique pharmacy mortar, used for potions and medicines, beautiful gift idea or to use i...
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Brass
Antique English Mahogany Banjo Barometer, circa 1860
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English mahogany banjo barometer, circa 1860.
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Mahogany
A botanic model of a pale pink tulip, Brendel, Germany 1880.
Located in Milan, IT
A rare Brendel botanical model of Tulipa gesneriana, the Tulip N.200 (Liliaceae), light pink color. The wooden ebonized round base holds the model which opens revealing the flower. T...
Category
Late 19th Century German Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Wood
End 19th Century Ophthalmic Steel Surgery kitJ. Weiss & Son and Dixey England
Located in Milan, IT
Ophthalmic steel surgery kit, signed J. Weiss & Son Ltd London and Dixey England, made in the end of XIX century circa, placed in its original wooden box covered with leather, red ve...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Steel
19th Century French Bronze and Cloisonne Wall Barometer and Letter Holder
Located in Dallas, TX
Accessorize an office or study with this elegant antique barometer. Crafted in France circa 1850, the scientific instrument with hunt motifs throughout, features deer, bird and a let...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments
Materials
Multi-gemstone, Bronze
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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