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Scientific Instruments

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Scientific Instruments For Sale
Vintage Copper Horse Sulky Weathervane
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A vintage copper Horse and Sulky Weathervane with good size and fine traditional form mounted on a faux finished wood plinth base. Dimensions: Base - 25 3/4" L x 9 1/4" W Horse - 3...
Category

20th Century Folk Art Scientific Instruments

Materials

Copper, Brass, Wire

French Louis XVI Barometer
Located in Queens, NY
French Louis XVI (18th Century) barometer with original scientific illustrations and mercury vial framed with gilt foliate carvings & ebonized ...
Category

18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Giltwood, Glass

Large 1950s Vintage Scientific Anatomical Human 3D Educational Eye Eyeball Model
Located in Lafayette, IN
1950's Vintage scientific human 3d eyeball model. Hand-painted with wonderful original patina!
Category

1950s American Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Rubber

German Vintage Leather Tape Measure, Orange Brown 1940s, Germany
Located in Andernach, DE
Highest quality and minimalistic design tape measure in a solid leather casing. Around the late 1930s to 1940s, Germany. Sturdy seams and leather remind of Hermès and is decorative i...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

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

Antique Estwing Geological Rock Hammer Leather Handle
Located in Chula Vista, CA
AMBIANIC presents Antique Rock Hammer Leather Handle Geology Pick Hammer Vintage Tool attributed to Estwing. 12.5 long x 7 w x .75 unsigned Original vintage condition Refer to all im...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Antique Veterinarian Syringe c.1930
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT Antique metal veterinarian serum syringe with two needle attachments and original box and label. Engraved on both sides. CREATOR O.M. Franklin Serum Company. DATE O...
Category

Early 20th Century Industrial Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

18th Century English Treen Yew Wood Mortar and Pestle
Located in Stamford, CT
18th century English treen mortar and pestle hand turned and carved from yew wood with the rich and warm patina that only comes with age and use. Beautifully carved by hand from a si...
Category

Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Yew

Pair of Antique Opera Glasses, English, Leather, Brass, Binoculars, Ross London
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a pair of antique opera glasses. An English, leather and brass binocular by Ross of London, dating to the early 20th century, circa 1920....
Category

1920s British Edwardian Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Antique Camera / Enlarger Circa 1910s
Located in Newfoundland, PA
Early Wooden Antique Camera / Enlarger Circa 1910s Please look at the photos, this has not been touched in decades. It is just the way you would like to find it, untouched. True anti...
Category

1910s American Late Victorian Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Large certified precision ruled diffraction grating by Bausch Lomb
Located in London, GB
A large certified precision ruled diffraction grating by Bausch & Lomb of Rochester, New York. 600 grooves / mm Blaze angle 28 degrees, 41 minutes. Radius concave Serial number: 88...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Scientific Instruments

Materials

Aluminum

Scultetus Amputation Saw, 17th Century
Located in Bilzen, BE
Scultetus amputation saw, late 17th century, early 18th century. It measures 32cm in length, with an 11cm blade. The blade can be removed by loosening the two screws, which are in go...
Category

Late 17th Century German Baroque Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Wrought Iron

Antique Terrestrial Globe Published in 1940s by Girard Barrère et Thomas, Paris
Located in Milan, IT
Terrestrial globe published in the 1940s by Girard Barrère et Thomas 17, Rue de Buci Paris. Turned wooden base, papier mâché sphere covered with paper printed by engraving on copper ...
Category

1940s French Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Wood, Paper

Botanical Model in Enlarged Section of a Moraceae Syconium, Italy, 1930s
Located in Milan, IT
Model in enlarged section of the Moraceae syconium (fig for example is a sicon). The model is made of painted plaster and almost certainly made by Paravia in the 1930s. Measures cm 3...
Category

1930s Italian Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Plaster

19th C. English Telescope On Tripod Stand By Negretti Zambra for Restoration
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Being sold in a decorative capacity as the Telescope would require professional restoration by a specialist to be functional. A magnificent antique Telescope for restoration or to b...
Category

Mid-19th Century English Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Brass Gregorian refractor telescope circa 1750 attributed to James Short
Located in Milan, IT
Antique mid-18th-century brass Gregorian refractor telescope, almost certainly made by James Short (1710-1768). Good condition, replaced eyepiece and missing lens, lathe rebuilt the ...
Category

Mid-18th Century Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

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

Induction Coil or Sled Antique Scientific Instrument by Du Bois Reymond 1870
Located in Milan, IT
Induction coil by Du Bois Reymond, also known as Sled of the Du Bois Reymond system designed around 1870 during electrophysiology studies by Emil Du Boi...
Category

1870s Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Antique English "Broadhurst Clarkson Co." Telescope on Stand, Circa 1910-1920.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English "Broadhurst Clarkson & Co." Telescope on Stand, Circa 1910-1920. 72" High as shown in the photographs.
Category

Early 20th Century English Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

American Victorian Scale and Height Measure
Located in Queens, NY
American Victorian standing scale with mahogany center post and brass weight and height measure with platform base on wheels (signed FAIRBANKS)
Category

Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Campbell–Stokes sunshine recorder by Casella Co of London
Located in London, GB
A mid twentieth century Campbell–Stokes sunshine recorder, by Casella & Co, London. Pattern: Mk III C 45- 65 (latitudes 45° – 65°, North or South). 4 inch glass sphere. Serial number: 6962 Marked: CASELLA LONDON MADE IN ENGLAND 6962 For similar Casella sunshine recorders see the collections of: Science Museum, London. OBJECT NUMBER:1995-820. The National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Torpedo Bay, New Zealand. The Campbell–Stokes sphere is used to record sunshine. It was invented by John Francis Campbell in 1853 and modified in 1879 by Sir George Gabriel Stokes. The original design by Campbell consisted of a glass sphere set into a wooden bowl with the sun burning a trace on the bowl. Stokes’s refinement was to make the housing out of metal and to have a card holder set behind the sphere. C. F. Casella and Co: Established in 1810 as Tagliabue and Casella. Incorporated as a limited liability company, C. F. Casella and Co, in 1910. Circa 1930: C. F. Casella and Co Ltd., of Regent House, Britannia Walk, London, N1 7ND - Makers of anemometers, anemographs, barometers, barographs, hygrometers, hygrographs, radiation instruments, rain gauges...
Category

Mid-20th Century English Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass, Bronze

19th Century Mother of Pearl and Repousse Gold Handle Pen with 14k Tip
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautiful vintage Fountain Pen - a lovely decorative piece for the desk, but also still fully functional. The handle is Mother of Pearl that leads into an elegant Gold design and ...
Category

19th Century Art Nouveau Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Gold

Antique Lord Bury 4 Draw Telescope, English, Terrestrial, JH Steward, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique Lord Bury 4 draw telescope. An English, leather and brass terrestrial or astronomical refractor by J.H. Steward of London, dating t...
Category

1880s British Late Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

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

19th Century Mother of Pearl and Gold Filagree Handle Fountain Pen with 14k Tip
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A beautiful vintage Fountain Pen - a lovely decorative piece for the desk, but also still fully functional. The handle is Mother of Pearl that leads into an intricate Gold design an...
Category

20th Century Scientific Instruments

Materials

Gold

19th Century French musical automaton clock
Located in London, GB
This fine, antique mantel clock is constructed in ebonised wood by the renowned Parisian maker of automata, Xavier Tharin (French, active mid 19th Century). The clock face is set onto a curled, stylized pediment atop the clock case. The face is of white enamel, featuring black Roman numerals and signed 'Tharin a Paris', and is bordered in beaded ormolu. The pediment in which the face is set is decorated with ormolu mounts of stylized acanthus leaf form. The pediment is set onto a rectangular frame of ebonised wood, inside which is set a musical automaton...
Category

19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Enamel, Ormolu

19th Century Portable Wooden Sundial
Located in Madrid, ES
Charming portable sundial crafted in engraved wood, dating from the 19th century. This compact timekeeping instrument exemplifies the practical elegance and craftsmanship of traditio...
Category

Mid-19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Fruitwood

19th Century Plaster Phrenology Bust by Vago of London, 1869
By Vago
Located in Lowestoft, GB
A tactile plaster cast phrenology head, primitively produced yet highly decorative and a obvious rare survivor. A inscribed label of the maker Vago alo...
Category

Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Plaster, Paper

Antique Pestle Mortar Set, English, Brass, Chemist Shop Instrument, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique pestle and mortar set. An English, brass chemist shop instrument, dating to the early Victorian period, circa 1850. Dashing Victori...
Category

Mid-19th Century British Early Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Pair of molecular atomic structure models. Leybold, Germany, 1940.
Located in Milan, IT
Pair of molecular atomic structure models for chemical didactic use. The spheres are made of painted wood and represent atoms and a molecule. The bases are in turned and ebonized fru...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Scientific Instruments

Materials

Wood, Fruitwood

Atomic structure for educational use of carbonic acid Czechoslovakia 1950s.
Located in Milan, IT
Struttura atomica ad uso didattico dell'acido carbonico (H2CO3) in metallo, sfere in bachelite verniciate rosso e nero. Czechoslovakian manufacture of the 1950s. Good condition sign...
Category

1950s Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Rare Microscope "Neopan" by Carl Aubock 1963, Reichert Vienna
Located in Vienna, AT
A very rare award-winning microscope, model Neopan, designed in 1963 by the Viennese architect and designer Carl Aubock. Executed by Reichert Austria. In good condition, fully workin...
Category

1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

Galvanometer Antique Measuring Instrument Used for Telegraph Cables 1850 circa
Located in Milan, IT
Vertical mirror galvanometer made in 1850 circa, oak and glass, three adjustable screws at the base. Tool constituted by a magnet bar movable inside a coil and connected to a needle. In the absence of current the needle is positioned vertically while when the coil is crossed by the current it creates a magnetic field that moves the needle. This type of galvanometer was used for measurement of insulation of telegraph cables...
Category

1850s British Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Wood

Celestial Table Globe, Charles-François Delamarche, Paris, 1791
Located in Milano, IT
Celestial table globe Charles-François Delamarche Paris, 1791 It measures: 17.13 in in height, Ø max 27.7 in; the sphere Ø 7.09 in (h 43.5 cm x Ø max 27.7 cm; the sphere Ø 18 cm). W...
Category

1790s French Other Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

1950s German Streamline Desk Fan by Luft in Turquoise and Burgundy Metal
Located in Lisboa, PT
This striking desk fan from the 1950s is a perfect example of the streamline aesthetic that defined mid-century industrial design. Produced by Luft (Germany), as indicated by the dis...
Category

1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Aluminum, Steel

Spyglass round section brass and leather focus 3 extensions 1850
Located in Milan, IT
Round-section brass telescope with leather-covered handle and three-extension focus, complete with sunshade extension and dust cover tabs. English manufacture of the mid-19th centur...
Category

Mid-19th Century Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Ptolemaic Armillary Sphere Charles-François Delamarche Paris, 1805-1810 Circa
Located in Milano, IT
Charles-François Delamarche Ptolemaic armillary sphere Paris, circa 1805-1810 Wood and papier-mâché covered with printed and partly hand-coloured paper It measures 15.74” in height, ...
Category

Early 1800s French Empire Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Paper, Wood

Small chrome-plated brass pocket compass for the U.S. Army in 1917
Located in Milan, IT
Small chrome-plated brass pocket and travel compass, issued to the U.S. Army during World War I; cover reads ENG. DEPT. U.S.A. 1917. Pocket compass in the shape of an onion clock, e...
Category

1910s Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Oval Ceramic Thermometer by Mithé Espelt
Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF
Oval glazed ceramic thermometer by the french artist Mithé Espelt, it features pale beige glaze and crackling gold. Bibliographie: Mithé Espelt, the discreet luxury of the everyday ...
Category

1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Ceramic

Pewter enema syringe with piston action, 19th century
Located in Delft, NL
Pewter enema syringe with piston action, 19th century Five enema syringes made of pewter, one of which has a wooden handle. Two pieces marked with the German brand Hauptner of 30 gr...
Category

19th Century European Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Pewter

A terrestrial seven inches globe, signed Felix Delamache, France 1845.
Located in Milan, IT
Engraved wooden and paper maché globe. Equator resting on four quarter meridians on a turned black fruit wooden base with moved profile and circular base. The globe is composed of tw...
Category

1840s Italian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Wood, Paper

Austrian Bronze Mortar and Pestle, Original Patina, Pharmacy or Herbalist
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Offered is a beautiful antique solid brass mortar and pestle set. The mortar has a cylindrical shape with a flared mouth and two angular handles at the sides. The baton-shaped pestle...
Category

1920s Austrian Hollywood Regency Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal, Brass

Early 20th Century Wooden Prosthetic Articulated Arm and Hand
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
This is a very early and prosthetic arm. Looks like it has been made in England, but i´m not sure. The wooden carved hand is jointed, realistic and ve...
Category

Early 20th Century English Art Nouveau Scientific Instruments

Materials

Bronze, Iron

18th Century French Louis XVI Giltwood Barometer
Located in Sheffield, MA
A stunningly beautiful 18th century French gold gilt barometer is a weather instrument with mercury-filled glass thermometer still in working order...
Category

1790s French Louis XVI Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Wood

Scientific tool for demonstrating the refraction of light, Italy 1920.
Located in Milan, IT
Scientific tool for demonstrating and assessing the refraction of light. Constructed in boxed metal with a square section, it consists of a horizontal tube that bends a few grids in ...
Category

Early 20th Century Italian Scientific Instruments

Materials

Metal

18-inch Globe, Cary s, London, 1840
Located in Milano, IT
John and William Cary Updated by George and John Cary Terrestrial Globe London, 1840 lb 22 (kg 10) Slight surface abrasions due to use. A small crack on the horizon circle. The globe rests in its original Dutch style stand with four supporting turned wood columns. It measures 26 in in height x 23.6 in in diameter with the diameter of the sphere measuring 18 in; 66 cm in height x 60 cm in diameter with the diameter of the sphere measuring 45.72 cm. The 18 inch...
Category

1840s English Early Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Paper, Wood

Fine Pair Golden Guilloche Enamel and Mother of Pearl Opera Glasses, c.1910
Located in Bath, GB
Pretty as a picture and in outstanding condition, this lovely pair of early twentieth century opera glasses come complete with their original case (wear commensurate with age). Th...
Category

1910s French Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass, Enamel

German 1900s Antique Ear Trumpet medical instrument Made of Ebonite and Rubber
Located in Milan, IT
Ear trumpet, bell and earphone of ebonite and extension of rubber, German medical instrument, manufacture of the early 1900s. Measures: Length 10 cm, 3.9 i...
Category

Early 20th Century German Scientific Instruments

Materials

Rubber

Collection of 18th and 19th Century Arabic Astrolabes and Quadrant
Located in London, GB
A collection of 18th and 19th century Arabic astrolabes and quadrant Persian, 18th/19th Century Largest: height 23cm, width 13cm, depth 3cm Smallest: height 6.5cm, width 4.5cm, depth 1.5cm This excellent set of antique astronomical instruments is a selection of five Persian brass astrolabes...
Category

Early 19th Century Persian Islamic Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

18th Century Silver Butterfield Dial By Langlois Paris
By Pierre Langlois
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A fine example of a silver Butterfield type sundial in the original green shagreen case. The finely engraved dial has Premier cadran (first dial) engraved with the city names and lat...
Category

Mid-18th Century French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Silver

Ornamental Turning Lathe, No. 1906 by Holtzapffel Co
Located in New Orleans, LA
An essential tool in the creation and finishing of furniture, this 19th-century English ornamental lathe is an object of beauty in and of itself. The extraordinary machine...
Category

Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass, Iron

Botanic Model of Solarum Tuberosum Flower, Paravia, Italy, 1940
Located in Milan, IT
A botanic didactical model, depicting a Solarum Tuberosum flower, pale pink color, made out of papier machè, plaster and wood, hand painted. Extremely detailed. Paravia, Milan, Italy...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Scientific Instruments

Materials

Plaster, Wood

Fine Pair Cased French Opera Glasses c.1910
By Chevalier Opticien Paris
Located in Bath, GB
A stunning pair of French Opera glasses clad in alternating Mother of Pearl or Nacre shell and Abalone shell, creating a striped / two-tone design. They are in full working order, ...
Category

1910s French Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

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 3 Draw Telescope, English Brass, Terrestrial Instrument, Victorian, 1880
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
Perfect for bird watching, landscape appreciation, wildlife, or maritime observation. Equally suitable for observing the night sky. This is an antique 3-draw telescope. An English, ...
Category

1880s British Late Victorian Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Portable Universal Equinoctial Dial
Located in Madrid, ES
This is an instrument that consists of a brass base and a brass stand on which a semi-circular metal dial plate and gnomon are attached. The base is circular and has a felt bottom. I...
Category

Early 1900s Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Vintage Blue Art Glass and Brass Kaleidoscope
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Vintage Blue Art Glass and Brass Kaleidoscope
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Pair of Early 20th century French brass Opera Glass, 1900s
Located in LEGNY, FR
Beautiful pair of mop and brass opera glasses dating from the beginning of the 20th century. Central wheel to move the view away or closer (turns with difficulty). For lovers of coll...
Category

Early 1900s French Antique Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Brass Wall Barometer, 1950s
Located in Palermo, IT
Mid-Century Brass Barometer, 1950s Working and in good condition.
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Scientific Instruments

Materials

Brass

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

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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