Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. The Wollensak Optical Company started in Rochester, New York, in 1899, longafter Bausch & Lomb was established there in 1853.Starting in 1901, the Wollensak Optical Company made precision camera lenses with iris shutters for large format cameras. Wollensak made many hundreds of different lenses and optical equipment up to the mid-1950s when the Company was purchased by Revere Camera Company.
The Wollensak Optical Company made such diverse things as lenses for stereo 35 mm cameras, and lenses for projectors. In 1920, the Company started making a series of different Galilean field glasses, 6X23 Biascopes, 4X33Commander and 4X33Rambler. Made before and after WWII were Allscopes of 2X25 and 3.5X25. These were replaced by a 3X25 Allscope with WOLCOTE (MgF2 lens coating) as early as 1951. Allscopes are worn much like a pair of glasses. A patent for the Wollensak Porro-prismType I was filed on 16 January 1936, with the Publication Date of 11 May 1937. The Company started making the Porro-prism Type I binocular, the Wollensak 6X30.
During WWII, these binoculars were given the military designation of Wollensak 6X30 M5. The serial numbers of the Wollensak 6X30 binoculars are continuous from pre-WWII, in 1937, through WWII, and through post-WWII till production ceased in the early 1950s. In the early 1950s, Wollensak contracted with a German company to make 6X30 CF,8X30 CF and 8X40 CF Porro-prism Type I, models called Wollensak Escort. The Escort 6X30 serial numbers appear to be continuous with Wollensaks.
This set is in wonderful unused condition. There is minor storage wear present and scuffs to the caser, but they are virtually unused, and they have the correct BINOCULAR, M5 on the bottom of the left barrel, and U.S. ARMY markings over SER. NO. 34590 on the bottom of the right. The spare carrying strap is in fantastic unused condition.
Comes more than ready for display!
Binoculars have a long history of military use. Galilean designs were widely used up to the end of the 19th century when they gave way to Porro prism types. Binoculars constructed for general military use tend to be more rugged than their civilian counterparts. They generally avoid fragile center focus arrangements in favor of independent focus, which also makes for easier, more effective weatherproofing. Prism sets in military binoculars may have redundant aluminized coatings on their prism sets to guarantee they don't lose their reflective qualities if they get wet.
One variant form was called "trench binoculars", a combination of binoculars and periscope, often used for artillery spotting purposes. It projected only a few inches above the parapet, thus keeping the viewer's head safely in the trench.
Military binoculars can and were also used as measuring and aiming devices, and can feature filters and (illuminated) reticles.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
