WWI Era French Binoculars with Early 1900's Leather Case by J.W. Hedler
Item #: AA3382
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This is a set of World War I era binoculars made by Lemaire Fabt of Paris, France. The brass body of the binoculars is painted black, with the majority of the painted remaining except in the high spots. The glass in these old binoculars is nearly perfect. The lenses are not cracked, but the objective lenses have a yellowish discoloration around the perimeter. I believe this is from the adhesive used to secure the glass to the body of the binoculars breaking down. The viewed image is still very clear though, there is just a small fogged area around the perimeter of each lense. The eye cups are both marked LAMAIRE FABt. PARIS, with two small bee's, the company logo. When fully extended the bino's are 8" long, retracted they measure 6 1/2" long. The binoculars have a maximum width of 5". The optics are fantastic with this set. The image is very clear and not distorted. The leather case shows a lot of use and is pretty worn. Even with the binoculars removed it still looks as if they are in it. The brown leather still retains the majority of the color, but it is stained and darker in color in the higher areas. The bottom of the case is discolored, possibly due to water damage. The case was equipped to use a carrying strap that attached to each side of the case, but it is missing. The top of case is attached by a small piece of square leather that has been riveted to the body of the case and the top. Only a small section remains attached to the body of the case. The top of the case has the initials T W S jr stamped in. The bottom of the case has the makers mark of J.W. HEDLER/CHEYENNE, WYO stamped in it. I believe these binoculars to be manufactured around the turn of the 20th century and the case made in the very early 1900's. The binoculars were probably brought home from WWI and married up to the case after TWS Jr. got back home. Or he could have took them with him, LAMAIRE binoculars have been around since 1846, and became of major exporter of them by the md 1800's. We'll never know, but they will make a nice addition to your WWI American display or collection.
Shipping Weight:
3 lbs
Item # AA3382
Your Price $95.00 USD
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