Ordering Antique Instruments from Opticalia

Collector’s Guarantee

The antiques on this website have been sourced, researched and examined by Dr. Spatz and judged to be original, genuine antiques or collectables.  We do not sell reproductions unless they are advertised and labeled as such. As antiques, most items in our catalogue are used. Thus each displays varying states of wear. We have endeavored, however, to convey conditions and states of functionality as practically as possible.

We accept the following forms of payment:

• Pay- Pal with major credit card (preferred)
• Certified check
• Personal or business check drawn on U.S. Bank
• Bank wire transfer or foreign exchange

Ordering

Ordering is facilitated by PayPal buttons linked to each item. All you need to do is click on the yellow "Buy Now" button under the price of the item you wish to purchase and follow directions.  We are notified immediately of the order. If you wish to pay by another method, please place your order by emailing or phoning us. If you wish to pay by mail or wire transfer, phone or email us first to insure the item is still available. Availability is subject to prior sales arrangements inasmuch as a delay occurs between selling an item and removing it from the catalogue.

Payment

For residents of the United States ordering and paying through PayPal is preferred, though other methods of payment are accepted.

For foreign residents, payment by bank wire transfer or foreign exchange in U.S. dollars is a convenient option.

PayPal: If a yellow "Buy Now" symbol accompanies the item you wish to purchase, just click on it, follow the instructions in the PayPal link, and pay by credit card or through your secure PayPal account. Arizona residents please add 5.6% sales tax.

Check: We accept certified checks and both personal and business checks drawn on U.S. Banks, payable to David Spatz and posted to 4219 W. Goret Rd, Tucson, Arizona 85745, USA. Arizona residents please add 5.6% sales tax.  It is best to contact us first, preferably by email, before ordering by mail. Please include a description of the item you wish to purchase as well as alternative means of contacting you: email address, telephone, cell phone or postal address.

Shipping

All items are shipped by weight ex-Tucson, Arizon, insured, by the shipper (U.S. Postal Service, UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL) considered most appropriate for the task required or per purchaser’s instructions. The shipping and handling charge along with insurance is quoted next to the sales price of each item in the  catalogue. This charge is for domestic USA lower 48 states only. For shipments to Canada and overseas, simply double this figure. For shipping charges to Alaska and Hawaii, please contact us.

Returns

We offer full refunds, less the shipping and handling charge, for items returned to us undamaged within 10 days of receipt and for exchange, gift certificate or credit voucher if returned within 20 days.

Opticalia’s Reference Guide to 

Antique Instruments of Science, Technology and Discovery

in Preparation for Publication in Late-2010

David Moore Spatz, PhD

 Opticalia-Antiques’ Reference Guide to Antique Instruments of Science, Technology and Discovery, in preparation at this time, is intended to be a comprehensive 400+ page source book full of valuable information for collectors, dealers, teachers, scientists, engineers and enthusiasts of science and history.  Generously illustrated with old engravings and photographs, it will describe hundreds of individual items, including their origins, significance, function and purpose, and in many cases, how they were used.

 The content will be as broad as the title suggests. The early history and evolution of instruments, from the circumstances surrounding their invention through the appearance of modern counterparts will be described. The concept and design of the ancient astrolabe, for instance, influenced developments in navigation and surveying up to modern times, and the magnetic compass evolved to become an indispensable component in surveying, navigation, electromagnetics and even laboratory research. Some instruments hardly changed for 2000 years while others survived only a decade or so, yet most represent critical links in a dynamic evolutionary chain.

The Guide will cover each of the 13 categories represented in the Opticalia Museum plus others and chronicle historical progress in the field by century and decade with reference to the personalities and lives of the inventors, other historical events and social developments of the time and interesting social, legal and economic factors and consequences. Chapters will delve into such themes as the origin of the scientist; the sons and daughters of scientists; science as art; the multidisciplinary nature of science; the human sensor array; the human ‘resistor’; animals in science; the importance of London’s Great Exhibition of 1851; instruments that never change; collectability and dating methods; inventions, patents, and patterns; and what qualifies someone to be recognized as a ‘discoverer’ and thus immortalized.

Additional chapters will include general restoration and conservation tips and describe improvements in the metal alloys used, how they were fashioned into components for instruments and how metallurgical improvements influenced technological advancement. An extensive research bibliography will be appended.

The author: David M. Spatz, PhD, is a scientist trained in geology, mineralogy, microscopy and remote sensing. He has spent a lifetime in mineral exploration, education and research. His practical experience with and deep appreciation of microscopes, magnetic compasses, calculating devises, drawing instruments and laboratory instrumentation helps enliven the manuscript which is intended to be clear, concise and interesting.