Celestron C90 C5 Spotting Scope 8x20 finder scope circa 1994

This auction is for a 1994 Celestron (Focus Optech Co. of South Korea) 8x20 finder scope. It will come with an aftermarket twist storage capsule, which will safely house this finder until you are ready to install it to the appropriate-sized bracket rings.  

The mpn code reflected on this finder (94103) is actually for the separate purchase of the finder itself (no bracket assembly). Believe it or not, Celestron did indeed sell these little finders individually, though almost NO catalog or pamphlet will ever advertised them beyond mentioning them as a standard piece of equipment on the applicable C90/C5 models at the time. Therefore, the mpn code for a USA-made 1988-2000 C90 or 1993-2000 C5 Spotter (not the C5 or C5+ as those were fitted with a color-matching 5x24 finder scope) may be correctly applied to this finder.  

Furthermore, this is a 1st generation example and predates the Suzhou Synta of China variant of late 1998-2000; which would have a metallic black paint with a grainy-like texture and painted white characters "CHINA. This is the Korean model and so was produced from 1988-1997. 

So this 8x20 finder as seen here would be inclusive to the 1988-1997 C90 (all models) and the 1993-1997 C5 Spotting Scope.

And the C90 and C5 were the only telescopes that Celestron ever assigned this finder scope to.  

Model:  8x20 correct image finder
Aperture: 20mm (0.79-inches)
Power:  8x
Design:  single element convex plano objective and kellner eyepiece, amici prism
Optics:  fully coated
Image: correct upright
Eye relief in eyepiece:  10mm
Focus mechanism:  helical eyepiece
Total body length:  3.53-inches
Main body width:  1.02-inches
Materials:  milled anodized aluminum, bronze housings, rubber, glass
Weight:  2.7 ounces  

The finder WILL FIT into any Celestron gray (or black) cast aluminum finder bracket assembly that came on ANY of the USA-made C90s and C5s from up until 2000. This also goes for the C4.5 reflector. If the finder in those brackets was/were for a 5x24 model, then it will fit this finder because both those finders had the same main body diameter.  

You can also fit this little finder onto your Meade 97-series "Mirror Lens" maksutov finder brackets as it used the same bracket size.   

This finder will also fit with the Meade ETX 8x21 finder scope's hard plastic finder brackets.  

This finder may or may not fit into the Vixen and Daiichi of Japan-made C60 and C60E refractors, as those came with 5x20 finders, yet were narrower like a classic rifle scope.  

Quality on this finder is very high and one of the very best mini finders on the planet period. The cross hairs are graduated at the center for very precise targeting of the object. Images are correct image; so the STOP sign will read "STOP". And unlike many 6x30 finders, images are crisp and resolved to the edge field of view. In its size class, only the Takahashi 5x25 has it beat, which makes the finest optical finders known (not really open to argument).  

To focus the finder, simply twist the eyepiece end of the finder till the images are in focus and it will stay. The helical threads are very fine and hold firmly without the need of a set screw or lock ring.  

VERY pleasing for daytime targeting and great for bright nighttime targets like the Moon, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Vega, M45, and Arcturus. +3.0 mag will be about as dim as you can sight with an aperture this small.  

And because this was for large aperture spotting scopes, the finder is designed with a built-in amici prism for upright correct images at the eyepiece. This means the "STOP" sign will be seen as "STOP". What makes this special is that when following a target with the finder (like bird, squirrel, or a ship), that object will be moving in the same directional orientation as it will in the telescope (given you are using a 45 degree prism in the telescope). And so aiming will be VERY straight forward.

This finder scope and its rubber O-ring are all original from Celestron with no repairs or modifications. The storage capsule is aftermarket, yet will safely contain this finder until you are ready to install it into the appropriate-sized bracket mount. The rubber O-ring is in excellent condition with a few tiny cracks starting. I think it still has years of use left. The finder is in very excellent cosmetics for its age. It does have a few spotty abrasions, but no bad dings, dents, or deep scratches. The amazing thing here is that it is NOT FADED by sunlight. You almost always find these in violet/purple color due to the Sun. So this is a rare example of the black gloss look they originally had. Painted characters are perfect, vibrant white with no breakage. The faint "KOREA" characters are perfect and unworn. The cross hairs are perfect. Focusing mechanism is perfect. Objective optics are very excellent and so is the eyepiece and prism. NO fungus or dust issues. NO need to clean. 
As you can see in the last photo, images are super crisp and clear.

All nations welcome to bid.