Value of brass Sextant?

[Victor Clough]

Greetings, I am a new member with a question about the value of a sextant our Educational Foundation has been given to auction off to raise money. I am hopeful someone reading this forum can help us establish a minimum bid for this item:

C. Plath, brass micrometer sextant manufactured in Hamburg, Germany in 1963. The label inside the hard case lists a number 44 280, and then a serial # of 20 738. It lists the radius as 160mm and the telescope as 4 x 40. It is certified "free of errors for practical use."

The actual metal arc with the degrees etched on the surface of the scale has the #44373 etched above the word "Germany" at the righthand edge of the scale.

Thank you for any guidance you can give us, including the name of an appraisal service that specializes in nautical instruments.

You may reply to this post or send me an email to my college email address: vclough@rcc.vccs.edu

[StevenBauer]

Have you looked here:

http://landandseacollection.com/id19.html

If it's like the one here it seems to be quite valuable.

From the site:"COMPANY HISTORY: In brief, Carl Plath started manufacturing sextants, in addition to other nautical products, in Hamburg Germany in 1862 though the company's origin dates back to 1837. As a result WW II, C.Plath was dismantled completely by the occupation forces. Around 1950, various prohibitions were lifted, and C. Plath was allowed to begin production again of sextants and other nautical instruments. Also in 1949,C.Plath was offered a gyrocompass patent and in 1951 the first gyrocompass designed to this patent was presented to the public. C.Plath progressed from the role of instrument maker to that of a modern marine navigation equipment manufacturer. In the following years the product range was expanded by many more modern designs such as autopilots, speed logs, radio direction finders, etc.

In 1962 C.Plath was acquired by Litton Industries, a large American concern.The C.Plath North American Division was set up in 1978 in College Park near Washington. 1996 saw the introduction of the world's first fiber-optic solid-state gyrocompass by C.Plath. The first ever gyrocompass with no moving parts. Sperry Marine was formed in 1997 with the combination of C.Plath, Decca Marine and Sperry Marine with more organizational changes yet to come. After 163 years, C.Plath changes its name to Sperry Marine in May 2000. In 2001 Sperry Marine becomes part of the Northrop Grumman Corporation. "

Steven

[Bob Cleek]

It's likely a very good sextant, but not an "antique." It's value is to someone who wants a quality sextant for navigational purposes. To that end, you should bring it to a marine instrument shop (sort of like a watchmaker... you'll find them in most port cities) and have them check it and calibrate as necessary. (One hard bump and they can be jarred out of whack.) Then, frankly, I'd consider selling it to the instrument repair place, which usually sells used instruments. I doubt anybody will pay what it is really worth at a charity auction just to set on their mantle. You'd get a better price wholesaleing it to the trade.

[rbgarr]

If you are in Virginia, you may try to find some place in Annapolis to assess the sextant. Any suggestions, anyone down there?

White's in Boston may have a name to suggest: www.robertwhite.com

[S.V. Airlie]

Yup.. a few of us are here. I would ask Chuck...he isn't gonna screw you because he probably would have no interest in acquiring one.. Ya go to a dealer and the dealer is thinking.. Okay, I'll offer this amount and sell it for twice what I offered.

[Henning 4148]

Now, Plath is a quite a name for instruments. Similar to Mercedes for cars. If it is a Plath, it is not a toy or gizmo, it is a professional navigation instrument.

I just looked in a catalogue I have floating around and today new Plath sextants start above 1,000.- EUR, say 1,300.- USD.

If flawless and recalibrated, I would very roughly assume an end customer value in the ballpark of 1/4 to somewhere below 1/2 of the current new price.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

There is some good advice on this thread.

I have a Plath sextant like the one pictured in Stven Bauer's post, with a closely related serial number, which I bought secondhand in 1982 and had recalibrated. It is a good navigational tool, but not an antique.

Oh, one other thing - DON'T LET ANYONE NEAR IT WITH BRASS POLISH

If you polish the divisions on the arc you will ruin the sextant.

[Hwyl]

I sold my Zeiss on Ebay, I was hoping to get more than i paid for it, but I think I got about $400. I regret selling it now.

[rbgarr]

When I was twenty (early 70s) I sailed across the Atlantic. When we got to Antigua I felt competent enough to get a sextant of my own... but lacked cash. Another crew member and I went halfsies on a very good sextant from a boat captain in Antigua, whose 52' English sloop had gone down, and we shared the use of it for the remainder of the voyage.

The "friend" made off with the sextant on reaching port and I've been trying to find him (and it) ever since.

[Hwyl]

When I was twenty (early 70s) I sailed across the Atlantic. When we got to Antigua I felt competent enough to get a sextant of my own... but lacked cash. Another crew member and I went halfsies on a very good sextant from a boat captain in Antigua, whose 52' English sloop had gone down, and we shared the use of it for the remainder of the voyage.

The "friend" made off with the sextant on reaching port and I've been trying to find him (and it) ever since.

Is your sextant extant

couldn't help it.

[rbgarr]

Find it? I'll doubt I'll e'er ere.

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

whenever I want to know the "going rate" for something, I'll search on past auctions on E-Bay. I bought my sextant on E-Bay and I watched a lot for a while, the C.Plaths always went after very active bidding, for at least $600 and often for much more.

With any sextant, you'd want to note the condition of the silver on the mirrors as well as the index error... if the sextant has been recently calibrated by a professional, it has a greater worth.

[paladin]

I have e-mailed the gentleman with much the same info that you folks have given...a basic value at the top of about 1300, and with all the caveats down, without a physical exam or other info....I mentioned the conditions of the vernier, mirrors, scope and arc play a great deal, and then compared it cost wise to the Tamaya Spica which is a copy and I also found solid brass new replicas for about $225.00........

[KNOCKABOUT]

I sold my Zeiss on Ebay, I was hoping to get more than i paid for it, but I think I got about $400. I regret selling it now.

You want to sell anything else you own for a quarter of its value? If so, please call me first. :D

[Rum_Pirate]

There is some good advice on this thread.

I have a Plath sextant like the one pictured in Stven Bauer's post, with a closely related serial number, which I bought secondhand in 1982 and had recalibrated. It is a good navigational tool, but not an antique.

Oh, one other thing - DON'T LET ANYONE NEAR IT WITH BRASS POLISH

If you polish the divisions on the arc you will ruin the sextant. What do you use to clean it?

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

You wipe it dry, making sure that no salt remains on it, and put it carefully back in its box.

[Rum_Pirate]

You wipe it dry, making sure that no salt remains on it, and put it carefully back in its box.

If you polish the divisions on the arc you will ruin the sextant. How/why does polishing the divisions on the arc with Brasso or other 'metal polish' ruin the sextant?

[KNOCKABOUT]

I give ya 50 bucks fer it. Thats a value...