MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hello,
To be completely honest, I joined because I have a microscope that I know nothing about but the name. My grandfather that passed away this year, had bought this old microscope from a garage sale. There’s paperwork In it but it doesn’t say anything about what year it’s from. Just how to take care of it. It came in a case that had some odd things in it. There was a glass bottle with a cork on it with some kind of oil in it. I hope someone could help tell me more about what kind of microscope I have.

Thank you!

Bausch and Lomb was a massive American microscope maker for a while (and still sort of is, having been absorbed into Leica). They made tons of different kinds, you'll need to post some pictures for us to even begin.
That being said, the oil is probably immersion oil so I'm guessing w're not dealing with a stereo microscope here.

Since there were a lot of things to see, I just went ahead and recorded a video and posted it on YouTube so that you are able to see everything! Thanks again

https://youtu.be/ToSEDr2VLv8

[youtube]https://youtu.be/ToSEDr2VLv8[/youtube]

As to price, I would suggest you look in ebay (in the sold section) until you find a similar looking microscope.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... =1&_ipg=50

In the meantime, try not to bash the objectives onto the stage - it does them no good!

Towards the top of the scope there’s a flat area that should have a serial number engraved on it; could you please tell me what it is? Also, a slow, panoramic view of the scope would be really helpful for those of us who require a bit of detail....albeit, a less shaky version. It looks like a Type H, and can pin down further the more info I get....just the serial number for now, please.
Mike

Mike-Roscope wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 20, 2019 8:47 pm

Towards the top of the scope there’s a flat area that should have a serial number engraved on it; could you please tell me what it is? Also, a slow, panoramic view of the scope would be really helpful for those of us who require a bit of detail....albeit, a less shaky version. It looks like a Type H, and can pin down further the more info I get....just the serial number for now, please.
Mike

Serial number I think is VL9839

Your scope was manufactured in 1944 as the “V” is the letter code for that year. The “L” denotes the instrument type which is correct as a microscope. The last item I’ll need to know would be the magnification power on the triple rotating turret objectives. I’m guessing that they are 10x, 43x, and maybe 97x oil objective....depends on the model you have which is what I’m going to pin down next.

Also, some more research revealed that the device with the tubes and thin glass vials is called a haemacytometer which is used to count blood cells within a specific volume of blood.

Adding further to the comment regarding the Hemacytometer. The coverslips were designed to be reused after cleaning. They are 0.4mm thick. so the 40x objective usually used for counting RBC, WBC and Platelets needs to have a forgiving working distance. The kit usually came with two coverslips.

Regards,
Wayne

Going to take a pretty good stab at the model, and I feel about 92% sure about it: it’s the B&L model BA-8 Medical Microscope. The were as mass produced as possible as there was a war going on, and metals were tightly controlled production-wise....although there would have been a need for more portable models like the excellent Spencer portable scope, but I digress. It looks like, from your video, that your missing the two piece mirror....perhaps still in the case...which means it probably had another, more permanent, light source. My guess is that it was a student’s model while attending Tulane, and probably followed the owner into some form of medical practice thereafter. There also seems to be a name printed in the box which the shakey camera wouldn’t reveal. That is a clue to ownership.
Value is not too difficult, at least for me as I am an antique valuer although I must tell you up front that valuing microscopes for me is very new. The market barely reflects its actual value as your scope in 1944 cost about $155 not including any accessories such as the haemacytometer. They run in the range of $40-60 USD, and its value is greater by a factor of 2. I recently came across a 1932 Type H by B&L which was owned by someone famous (with the correct provenance) which I sold, along with another less valuable Japanese scope, for $350 but because there was history that accompanied the instrument, and the buyer was also a romantic historian; the stars all lined up well for both myself and the buyer. Hope that helps, and if there are community members who would like to challenge my assessment, in a good way, I welcome the corrections as knowledge is paramount. Mike