Microscope

[RonJ]

I have an old American Optical (AO) scope. It has dual oculars but is not stereo, three lens turret, mechanical stage. There is an adjustable iris under the stage which obviously controls the amount of light but I don't know what it is called. The oculars are 10X and the left one has independent focus like a binocular.
Three lenses are included, one is an oil immersion lens. I'm told it was originally equipped with an electric light source but all I have is the mirror. This thing is massively constructed and may weigh as much as 15 pounds. Research on these things is way worse than guns, almost nothing available. It appears that my sample was built around 1948. I bought it at a garage sale about 15 years ago, the owner said it originally came from St. Louis University. I paid $15.00 for it. It is in very good condition with just a bit of black enamel missing from the base. I played with it for a few weeks but since then it has sat in its case. I'd guess that if it were built today to the same specs it would cost at least $2000.00
It is not for sale but I'm curious about it's value and where I might find info on it. Thanks!

 

[Onomea]

Here's a start, Ron: About Collecting Science Instruments

 

[RonJ]

Well I still haven't found out much info. Most of the collectors seem to be looking for scopes about 100 years older than mine.

For those of you who like guns and cameras etc for their precision feel and build you might try picking up a couple of good quality microscopes. They're fun to clean up and play with.

 

[jjcobra]

Try this site.
LabX Search Results for: AO microscope

Most of the biological scopes had a light built into the base. Does yours have a lens in the base or just the mirror? You can get a cheap light that will reflect off the mirror thru the apature thru the glass slide and finnally into the scope lens.

 

[mwtdvm]

Look on Fleabay

My 40 year old Nikon microscope had a nylon gear crack and split. I was able to cobble a functional scope with another "donor" Nikon.
I was amazed at the variety out there.. You might find one like yours that has info in the description.

 

[goldenlight]

Well I still haven't found out much info. Most of the collectors seem to be looking for scopes about 100 years older than mine.

For those of you who like guns and cameras etc for their precision feel and build you might try picking up a couple of good quality microscopes. They're fun to clean up and play with.

Yes, yours is too new to have real collector value. It was common for a very long time for even high quality microscopes to have an eternal light, and use the mirror to reflect the light. it was just cheaper to make them that way.

When I took microbiology in the 1970's, all the microscopes had external light sources, though they had been around awhile, and weren't in the best of shape.

It wasn't until the little low voltage, high output halogen lamps came along that microscopes started to have the light assemblies built into the base. Many still used an external power supply to power and adjust the output of the lamp.

Hmm. I just looked down in my basement, and found an old Bausch and Lomb external light for a microscope. It's quite large. It was made in Rochester New York. I remember bringing one home from work, that didn't work. It works now, though it isn't nearly as bright as I seem to remember. Send me a PM, and I'll send it to you. It's probably nearly as old as your microscope.

AO (American Optical) was always a less expensive microscope, and lower quality, compared to the German ones, and many of the American made microscopes. AO microscopes were mainly used in teaching, rather than in clinical or research labs.

Zeiss made probably the best optical microscopes, and Leitz are very high quality too. The Swiss made some excellent microscopes as well, as you might expect, though I can't remember the names of them now.

In the 70's and 80's, the Japanese were selling some very high quality microscopes that were much less expensive than European microscopes, but had very high quality optics. I remember using a Nikon microscope once, and being very impressed with it.

Your microscope is mainly a curiosity now. The quality of the image you see will improve markedly if the condenser, the lens under the stage that concentrates the light from the source to the microscope slide, is in proper alignment.

 

[Exiled Cheesehead]

Enjoy your Microscope

As the others have been saying, your microscope should be used as a conversation starter or a display piece in your home. The value you get from those conversations will be worth more than it's monetary value. I have a friend who collects them because they look "cool". He has found several at garage sales for less than yours and they are real beasts, in terms of weight and construction. The high dollar microscopes of any era will have names such as Zeiss, Leica, and the more complex Nikons. With all of these brands, the quality of the glass and engineering is what made them expensive when new and allows them to be highly sought after collectables today.

 

[RonJ]

I ordered some student slide samples. It has been fun sharing them with the relatives, esp the kids. They can hardly turn down a glimpse at a sample of dogs esophagus!

 

[RonJ]

Goldenlight,
Thanks very much for your info by PM. I really appreciate it.