Vintage c.1956 Old Delft Scanning Stereoscope III Netherlands in stunning...

This is an absolutely beautiful piece of cartography/mapping history. Made in Switzerland in the 1950s, this type of military-grade stereoscope was generally used by photographic interpreters (such as intelligence analysts) to examine 3D stereoscopic images which were captured by airborne cameras and spy satellites.

In the education sector, where this specific stereoscope came from, it was used in photogrammetry applications in forestry and agriculture. This Stereoscope comes from one of the oldest universities in Australia, and was originally used in the Geography department (with "Geography" still penned in red some 70 years later on the side of the stereoscope).

It comes in its original absolutely beautifully hand made oak box with dovetail joins and the key (although the lock is stuck and the key won't turn due to age; however perhaps its new clever owner can work out how to loosen the lock so it works again!).

The pieces of the stereoscope are marked with a series of red and white dots to clearly show where each of the metal arms clips in. The arm plate is secured to the inside of the box, and each piece simply slots in when not in use.

In its box, the total weight comes to around 17.5kg (approx. 39 pounds), so it will travel to its new owner by freight to minimise postage costs.

Please see pictures as they form part of the description.