Antique Binoculars Have A Glorious History

There is a market - and a big one at that - for antique binoculars. A cursory search at eBay and you'll discover that binoculars from ages past are raking in high numbers in the secondary market. This should come as no surprise. Antique binoculars, believe it or not, are as usable today as they were during their circulation. Aside from this, and more importantly for most collectors, these binoculars carry within their bodies many years of glorious history. Every pair of antique binoculars has its own tale to share. And each pair is worth many lifetimes of stories.

The fascination for antique binoculars probably stem from the general fascination with the origin of this marvelous equipment. Binoculars were first invented in 1608, when Hans Lippershey conjoined two telescopic tubes to view subjects from great distances, and the result was a clearer picture of the same. But this origin is disregarded by most. Many claim that it was a novel application, and not an invention. Lippershey, they say, did not even refine existing technologies during that time to earn the right to be called as the inventor of binoculars.

Lipperhsey's government allegedly asked him to create an original model based on his discovery, one which he allegedly submitted during the same year. This is something that is unverified, however.

The creation of first models for the binoculars we use today were said to have bee attempted by Cherubin d'Orleans of Milan and by I.M. Dobler of Berlin, sometime during the first half of the 18th century. Their creations were not accepted by the general public however. Issues on their functionality as well as their handling were preponderant, which caused the inventors to abandon the project altogether.

But things started to change in 1854, when Italian inventor Ignatio Porro integrated a prism erecting system with the box of the earlier binocular designs. This led to the efficient binoculars we know today. Ignatio Porro became very popular because of this, that today, two centuries after his invention, the Porro prism is named after him. The Porro prism allows the condensation of light from the light source to magnify the images seen from the exit pupil, the basis for the functional binoculars of today.

Indeed, binoculars have a rich and lavish history, and such is perfectly encapsulated in the pairs from many years ago. So today, many people seek these pieces of history, as owning them brings a sense of fulfillment that is difficult to replicate.

Our thanks to Terence Ginola for this article on Antique Binoculars.