There is a great thread on that other astro forum (Cloudy nights) that discusses all manner of classic scopes. How about IIS also has a similar thread?
I will kick off by remarking on a scope that has been listed on that electronic auction site for some months now. It appears to be a 4" Thomas Cook that the seller is expecting $29,999 for!
Question how much do IIS members feel a scope like this is worth?
I will post my idea later, but to give an idea what old scopes fetch, the 8" Thomas & Cook from the Port Elizabeth observatory recently fetched $USD17,000
what does that make a 4" worth?
Last edited by The Mekon; 09-12-2015 at 07:32 PM.
Reason: spelling
$29,999 for that scope.....tell him he's dreamin'.....to quote Michael Catons line from the classic film 'The Castle'
Doubt you'll get that much interest John.....most people who buy refractors get those short stubbie things and bung a camera on one end....I don't know why
Long fl fracs rule in my backyard f11, 12 and 13....and that's not that long.
I'd love to have a 19th century scope to go with my 19th century mount.
Matt
Last edited by MattT; 09-12-2015 at 08:49 PM.
Reason: spelling.... Caton...
i would have thought a 4" would pull max $2-3k, i think a collector wouldn't get his money back, and as for function you can get a more capable instrument prob for less. check what zeiss as scopes pull, but they ave the whole german history thing the europeans like, the AP stowaway have the made in US & are prob the perfect travel scope. quester is next closest..even their old ones only bring around this level
yes, that's what I reckon is the worth. Maybe a bit more as it is a nice bit of brass. But using the rule that a scope cost increases according to the cube of its size, then the AUD $24,000 8" in Port Elizabeth comes down to a $3000 4" in Brisbane!
Good to see Torana68 throw his 2cents worth in. I used to dream about those AOS reflectors that he has an interest in. I'd like to see through one of the 8" F7 Newtonians they made. With modern eyepieces they would surely give current APOs a good contest.
Hi John,
I was watching that 4" too. Rather over-restored in my opinion. The 8" Cooke looked more interesting but needed someone with the resources to do it justice. I get the impression the larger the antique scope the smaller the market and hence value.
Cheers, Col
Good to see Torana68 throw his 2cents worth in. I used to dream about those AOS reflectors that he has an interest in. I'd like to see through one of the 8" F7 Newtonians they made. With modern eyepieces they would surely give current APOs a good contest.
nice but probably not worth that to me, I do have the mount for it though never seen a Goliath in the flesh, either they no longer exist or they are hidden away and being used..... so much stuff gets taken to the tip
I enjoy that Classic Scopes section over at CN. They obviously see a lot more old scopes than we do.
Recently there was a beautiful Polarex 4" F 16 (?) I think on a classic wooden mount with all the rings and finders in almost mint condition advertised over here. Originally advertised at $4999 it was recently listed again at $2999 then $2500. Market interest is too small over here. I'd love to have it but I can barely afford my current fleet maintenance let alone buying a stunning example of a classic to stand in the lounge. ( It would get used though, much too big for the observatory ).
I see crazy Unitron prices all the time, locals must be getting prices off US sites . The prices are rarely attained over there, also there are the come in sucker prices, examples of which can be found on Ebay ($400 + postage for guide scope rings , still available if you want). Thing is a 60mm is not worth $800 UNLESS , its mint, boxed, on a GEM with drive and with ALL accessories including the camera etc etc, even then its a bit much for the Australian market. Apply the same to bigger ones, Alt Az and no accessories is not worth anywhere near the price of the full set up on a driven GEM. Sure everyone who has something old and nice would like to think its worth a motza but years of watching prices says there isn't the market here that there was OS (was as the prices in the US seem to have fallen). The older reflector market provides much better bang for your $$.
I called the owner of that scope today and found out that the astronomy world is indeed a small world. Turns out that the seller is the original owner of my 18" F5.58 Galaxy mirror, having imported it many years ago.
This seller is also selling an orange original C14 at the moment.....
You gotta love that portable mount he has for that C14.
that cart is a beauty alright!
He is a very experienced astronomer and currently has a 20" F5, 20" F4, 16"F4.5, C14', AOS12" F5 and a few smaller scopes but told me his most used scope is a Meade ETX125PE.
There are extraordinary prices asked for lots of things, but what they actually sell for is often another matter. I like long and short refractors and for light gathering a 20" f5 Obsession dobsonian. I agree short tube refractors are convenient to move, easier to mount, give nice wide fields, and suited to photography. High power viewing with a short tube often means using short focal length eyepieces and focusing is in a very narrow band. Long refractors are to me like V8's, they are lazy and idle along giving high power views with longer focal length eyepieces than a short tube. Focusing is less critical, and depth of field seems greater. Field of view is narrow though and they need a good mount and tripod.
F15, F16 scopes from the 1960's and 1970's are pretty cheap, you get a mount, tripod, eyepieces, and telescope for the cost of a modern 1 1/4" or 2" eyepiece. And, they look like a telescope Mark
I am interested in classic telescopes but don't really see many over here in WA. I do have an old Jaegers 6" f5 refractor which is great for low power wide field views. I have made my own "classics" in the form of long focal length refractors by buying the lenses and focusers and making the tubes out of plywood.
What do people consider a classic? How old does a classic have to be?
I've got a lovely pair of 4" Unitrons on eq mounts, but they are only used for solar and lunar and are mainly decorations in my library. But definitely 'classics'. My 10" Meade starfinder on the other hand is hardly a classic, but it's old, highly modified and I make it work hard!
An orange tube c8 - that would be a classic?
Interested to hear other people's views.
Cheers,
Andrew
never seen a Goliath in the flesh, either they no longer exist or they are hidden away and being used..... so much stuff gets taken to the tip 
