Prestige Items

Victorian Spectroscope – Adam Hilger c1890

A superb quality late Victorian brass Direct Vision Spectroscope, of the “Rainband” variety.

The device includes a “train” of five alternating crown and flint glass prisms.

Made by Adam Hilger and his brother Otto who operated from Tottenham Court Road London from 1875 until 1916 when the business was taken over with the backing of Vickers.

Nicely engraved A Hilger London and in near fine condition protected in its original custom made brass canister.

Interestingly, Adam Hilger supplied one of the most advanced spectroscopes of the day to the Sydney Astronomical Observatory in 1878 to be used in conjunction with their Merz 7 ¼ inch refractor.

Neat Victorian Spectroscope top maker clear and true spectrum

$240.00

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Rare – Casella of London Boxed Compass – circa 1850

Top London maker. Louis Paschella Casella was born at Tavernerio near Lake Como, Northern Italy in 1802. His father mover the family to London for a better life. Louis was one of seventeen children!!

In the 1820’s he became apprenticed to distinguished Italian instrument maker Cesare Tagliabue, who had been in business since 1799.

In 1837 Louis married Tagliabue’s daughter and was soon made a partner in the business. Tagliabue died around 1844 and Louis became the sole proprietor continuing from their original premises at 23 Hatton Gardens. Later Louis’s sons took over the business.

Original mahogany box circa 7.0cm by 7.0cm with hook to close. Open to show the typically quite beautiful Casella sunburst dial. Showing thirty-two cardinal and intercardinal points and degrees and minutes on the outside. Blue compass needle works well. A button stop which traps the needle protects the compass when closed and travelling.

Casella as a maker was highly regarded and his instruments appear in museum collections around the world. He is known to have supplied the leading explorers and naturalists of the day including Livingston, Speake, Burton, and Charles Darwin.

Amazingly the company, or brand, continues this day as part of the modern American roll up of instrument makers that make up TSI.

Casella – Instrument maker Royalty – a treasured compass – small but perfect and can still show you the way after 170 years.

$250.00

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Kim Philby and other Russian Spy Celebrities – Russian Stamp Set 1990

A complete set of five mint stamps issued in Russia in 1990.

Each with a portrait of a member of the espionage elite. Rodolf Abel (1903-1971); Konon Molody (1922-1970); Vaupshascov (1899-1976); Kudrya (1912-1942) and …

“was he, or wasn’t he?” Harold “Kim” Philby.

Nicknamed “Kim” after the Rudyard Kipling boy hero spy – should have been a clue!

If you don’t know who Kim Philby is we are guessing you won’t want to buy this set …

Postage likely to be reduced on final billing.

Unusual item for those undercover agents out there …

$25.00

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Journal of Landsborough’s Expedition – From Carpentaria – in search of Burke and Wills – with a map showing his route – Rare First Edition 1862

First edition published in Melbourne in 1862.

Original papered boards, octavo, 128 pages, frontispiece, still with tissue protection, and the large (58 cm x 78 cm) folding map of Australia “Shewing the Routes of Explorers”. Spine re-enforced professionally with new ends, some age as usual, still a good to better copy.

The frontispiece is an engraving of the explorers and their trackers.

Landsborough oversaw the fourth expedition sent out to find Burke and Wills organised at Brisbane by direction of the Royal Society of Victoria.

The Brig Firefly was chartered in Melbourne to take Landsborough from Brisbane to Carpentaria setting sail on the 24^{th of} August 1861, the beginning of a quite remarkable exploration.

A key exploration account in the cannon of the Burke & Wills rescue atte

$480.00

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The Brotherhood of Angels of Men – Geoffrey Hodson – First Edition 1927

A very scarce and unusual book, near impossible to find in its super Art Deco jacket [designed by Phoebe Stabler] and in such good condition. Image repeated as frontispiece.

Published by the Theosophical Publishing House, London in 1927. Small quarto, fifty-six pages, printed on quality rag paper by Humphries of Bradford.

Geoffrey Hodson [1886-1983] was born in Lincolnshire and has his first encounter with the “Serpent Fire” at the age of six. He embarked on a life where he became one of the world’s leading Theosophists – live in Western Austral and New Zealand where he saw out his life.

A clairvoyant of stature, mystic, philosopher, esotericist etc. He wrote over 50 books on the broader subject. This early book of his perhaps the most admired as it is built on a period of his life when he was in connection with angels.

The artist Phoebe Stabler [1879-1955] was better know for her ceramics – she did designs for Worcester, Doulton and Poole. She had a penchant for angels – reflected hear.

Scarce and enlightening first edition

$80.00

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Kalgoorlie Golden Mile – Western Australia – Original Magic Lantern Slide – Newton & Co – c1910

Very good condition magic lantern slide from Newton & Co Fleet described in cursive writing.

We date the slide to around 1910. New & Co were at 43 Museum Street London. They were the world’s longest established suppliers of scientific instruments being formed by Sir Isaac Newton’s cousin J. Newton in 1704. At the time of this slide the proprietors were still from the Newton family. The British Museum have Newton & Co out of business at Museum Street in 1913, but other references have it continuing

A really broad view which magnifies to present incredible detail. Standard British size in fine condition. We believe this slide and image is pretty rare.

Kalgoorlie was discovered by Paddy Hannan and Tom Flanagan in 1893. There horse had thrown a shoe and when they stopped to sort it out they noticed gold …. Well … on the ground everywhere. Hannan staked a claim and the rush was on. By 1896 the rail had arrived and the area had taken over from Coolgardie as the primary WA goldfield.

As an aside the Newton & Co address is as you might suspect in sight of the British Museum in London and also opposite The Plough … a favourite Voyager pub.

Rare Australian Gold Mining Lantern Slide

$80.00

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Victorian Spectroscope – Adam Hilger c1890

Rare – Casella of London Boxed Compass – circa 1850

Kim Philby and other Russian Spy Celebrities – Russian Stamp Set 1990

Journal of Landsborough’s Expedition – From Carpentaria – in search of Burke and Wills – with a map showing his route – Rare First Edition 1862

The Brotherhood of Angels of Men – Geoffrey Hodson – First Edition 1927

Kalgoorlie Golden Mile – Western Australia – Original Magic Lantern Slide – Newton & Co – c1910

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