46 replies to this topic

[clintwhitman]

Today I got a call froma a friend of a friend And I was given a new scope for the collection. I dont know that much about it but I just cleand up the tube and focuser and I think I hit the mother load Please fill me in What did the caveman drag home It seems like it might be built better than my unitron and seems like the 50s So far all I keep saying is wow

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[clintwhitman]

Did I say WOW!

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[clintwhitman]

WOWOWOW I feel like the luckyest guy on earth!!!!

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[clintwhitman]

What do you do with this littel diag. mirror????? Habsberg Help

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[clintwhitman]

This says alot the scope is pristine so is the objective every this is better than I could have hoped! All the way over to pick it up I was thinking, Its another sears 60mm its all beat up but lets get it and then under some junk in the garage I saw the mount and almost died!!!!! Then I opened the box Whoooooopppppyyyyy Ureka Telescope gold

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[clintwhitman]

Within one hour I had the focuser cleaned up and ready to go It is built better than a unitron 4" even though it is a 50mm Scope Awsome detailing and gears

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[clintwhitman]

Well you guys fill me in on this thing I am going to go finish cleaning it It is very nice 50mm Nikon and should make a great guidescope and alt az grab and go I feel really lucky to be intrusted with such a scope as this I think it might be very special??

[Darenwh]

Nice.... VERY NICE.... That's a once in a million year find....

[clintwhitman]

Wow

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[Steve_M_M]

Wow! Spectacular find. I have only seen a few Nikons here in the states and this is the first 50mm. I would put it in the same category as the Goto Keith has. Is it often you have friends of friends toss you a scope of that value???

I am away from home for a while, but I am sure someone can scan the rare S&T ad for that scope. I think the price was about $299 and ads showed up for just a couple months somewhere around 1958-1961.

Enjoy the scope!

Steve

[Jae]

Wow, never saw one of those. Nikons are well, legendary in all ways. Also very rare. Now you have to do your thing, Clint. Make us proud of that scope !!

[Vesper818]

What a beauty, Clint!
Now you see why I like these little 50mm gems so much!
What a gorgeous mount and setup... It found the perfect home
Congratulations
LCC

[JWW]

Very sweet ...

Have you seen this link?

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[fxxm747]

WOW is right! Hey I wonder what that little mirror is for too. Neat setup......

[trainsktg]

Solid quality. It looks like the finder scope even has its own screw-on dust cap. Is the OG cell collimatable? 2" equatorials are very rare.

Keith

[clintwhitman]

The Caps are pop on both, but the quality is VERY high Perfect Optics not one mark on any of the glass, prizums or eyepieces and perfect star tests I am suprized the tube is solid brass The focuser is like my wiliams optics one speed not 2. This is going to double as my guide scope on the unitron. And a grab and go scope WOW!!!!What good thing did I do for this deal? Orion smiled at me tonight I still cant belive it was not a broken down 60mm tasco!!!

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[clintwhitman]

Here is a shot of what you see thru the mirror it great for a quick finder I quess

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[clintwhitman]

Living in the valley sucks most of the time but I am starting to think if it wasnt for all these people I wouldnt keep finding there old scopes in junk piled in the garages. Well I will keep looking !!!! So easy a Cameman can find one!!!!!

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[Lew Chilton]

Clint,

It looks like you've got a winner! Nippon Kogaku is synonymous with Nikon. That Nikon sticker on the tube isn't original but the riveted plate sure is. Try doing a little online research. Congratulations!

Lew Chilton

[gts055]

Clint,
Thats a magnificent telescope. Nippon Kogaku became Nikon. Its a rare piece of history u have there. And will be expertly crafted. That eyepiece with the little diagonal, I think is a Zenith Prism. Look at the 6th item on the catalogue link kindly posted by JWW, just a few replies above. Enjoy that instrument. Make it work on the moon and sunspots. Mark

[gts055]

I'm wrong, the Zenith prism is the 90 degree diagonal, I read that brochure too quickly.
Mark

[BHunt]

That symbol on the tripod almost looks Zeiss related.
Bill

[clintwhitman]

Thank you for the kind words and great information everyone, you are all honorary cavemen!! At least until you find that Cave your looking for.... You know that 1964 12, 5 F8 that’s in your wife’s friend’s father in-laws garage rafters you haven’t seen yet..LOL... So I looked all over the web and can not find that much info on this telescope in fact I only really get two hits one of some guy selling a messed up one in 2004 and the page posted in this thread. I am starting to wonder what this thing is worth and kind of feeling bad that this lady just gave it to me. After I saw the scope and dug it out, three times I asked what or how much she wanted for it? And at that time I had no idea that they were this rare. She just kept saying I just want it to get used. I guess her mom bought it on a whim for this ladies dad and he didn’t ever use it so years after that the lady said her mom gave it to this ladies husband at the time and he in turn never used it that was 24 years ago! They divorced and he left it in a pile of junk in the garage until I dug it out yesterday. Debbie my wife and I are doing a program called Stars in the park where we set up some of these old scopes and let the kids and there parents come and do some star gazing This will be a great scope next to the cave to teach the history of the telescope in America. Some of the kids that express a keen interest and are broke will get free telescopes the next one to go is the parks 60mm we have. I think it’s a 70s Towa refractor,,, Well like I said thanks for the info and if you have seen anything about these really neat telescopes keep me posted,, No pun intended Clint (caveman)

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[trainsktg]

Yes, the zenith prism is the star diagonal itself. I haven't a clue what that other little piece is. Maybe it is a 1x finder so you don't have to switch back and forth from finder scope to EP? Anyone up to the research challange?

Keith (Not me. I'm still tuckered out from Stave and I's 'spectroscope' hunt, )

[clintwhitman]

Keith it tightens around the tube and clamps the eyepiece tight. there is a small prizum in it and if you point it at the tube end that is what you see, the sky and tube, I was thinking it would line ou with the finder and you could peek at the finder thru it but it is about a half inch short of being tall enough!