My wife's grandfather recently died and among his stuff we found a pair of binoculars that are about 50-60 years old. These are perhaps the smallest pair I've ever seen. They're made by Nippon Kogaku of Japan. They're 6x and the diameter of the objective is not listed but I estimate it at 15mm. They also say "Mikron" on them. The quality of construction seems very good. They're all metal with individually focusable eyepieces. The image quality in daytime observing is very good. Does anyone out there know anything about these and is there any collector value in them. Thanks Dave Gale
old Binoculars
Started by D Gale, 07/30/2002 04:13AM
Posted 07/30/2002 04:13AM
Opening Post
Posted 07/30/2002 05:09AM
#1
Hi Dave.
Nippon Kogaku was a Nikon "parent" (though N.K. did *not* cease to exist once the "Nikon" brand name was born, 1946). Your pair may pre-date Nikon altogether.
The first Mikron reverse-prism compacts were marketed in 1921. Yes, they are very good. Yes, they are collectible.
I'm not a collector, myself, so I can't offer an informed estimate of their value. If condition is good-to-excellent (clean optics, no delamination, no dents/cracks, etc.), I could see them fetching $80+. However, Nikon/Nippon Kogaku collectors are a *far* better source than I. Their value might be higher -- depending on condition, rarity, features, et.al.
Is there a matching case? If so, that should help value--especially if condition is nice (no mildew, rot, etc.).
Advice: do *NOT* clean them with any type of solvent. Careful cleaning of grime/dirt (if any) is fine, but don't do anything to dissolve/remove the body's existing finish/patina. Ditto for the case, if you have it. In other words, *don't* try to make them look new.
Don't throw anything away, either.
You'll find some historical info at
www.nikonhs.org/history.html
as well as the Nikon Corporation website
www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/portfolio/history.html
Congrats on finding a nice little piece of Nikon history(actually, a nice piece of binocular/photographic history, in general).
Best wishes.
-Dan
Nippon Kogaku was a Nikon "parent" (though N.K. did *not* cease to exist once the "Nikon" brand name was born, 1946). Your pair may pre-date Nikon altogether.
The first Mikron reverse-prism compacts were marketed in 1921. Yes, they are very good. Yes, they are collectible.
I'm not a collector, myself, so I can't offer an informed estimate of their value. If condition is good-to-excellent (clean optics, no delamination, no dents/cracks, etc.), I could see them fetching $80+. However, Nikon/Nippon Kogaku collectors are a *far* better source than I. Their value might be higher -- depending on condition, rarity, features, et.al.
Is there a matching case? If so, that should help value--especially if condition is nice (no mildew, rot, etc.).
Advice: do *NOT* clean them with any type of solvent. Careful cleaning of grime/dirt (if any) is fine, but don't do anything to dissolve/remove the body's existing finish/patina. Ditto for the case, if you have it. In other words, *don't* try to make them look new.
Don't throw anything away, either.
You'll find some historical info at
www.nikonhs.org/history.html
as well as the Nikon Corporation website
www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/portfolio/history.html
Congrats on finding a nice little piece of Nikon history(actually, a nice piece of binocular/photographic history, in general).
Best wishes.
-Dan
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