Mint 1909 Gurley Surveyor’s Transit & Case, Troy, NY w/Gradienter & History Docs For Sale

Mint 1909 Gurley Surveyor’s Transit & Case, Troy, NY w/Gradienter & History Docs
This beautiful optical instrument is a 1909 surveyor’s transit made by the Gurley company of Troy, NY. Gurley was one ofthe premier international optical instrument makers of the 19th and 20thcenturies. They are still in business, although they stopped making surveyinginstruments in 1980.
It has an unusual optional attachment called a Gradienter, which aided inrapidly determining grades and distances. I have never seen this attachment onan antique transit before.
It also comes with a 1999 letter from “Gurley Historical Services” indicatingage, model number, the original purchaser (Stoddard Bros. in Buffalo, NY on9/16/1909) and several old catalog page copies which describe the technicalaspects of the transit.Considering it is 115 years old, this transit is in near mint condition. Allthe bubble levels are intact, the compass needle moves freely, all moving partsswing properly without any binding, and the optics and crosshairs are good.There is some tarnish on the exposed silvering on the elevation circle, whichis to be expected. The rest of the silvering is quite good, as shown in the photos. It appears it saw very little use.It comes with the original fitted, dovetailed wooden case, with the original Gurleylabels inside. The instrument is about 16” tall and about 13” in length. Thewooden box measures 16” tall by 13” wide by 9” deep. Total weight of instrument and case is about 30 pounds.This is a striking and rare example of true American craftmanship from a bygoneera. It’s beautiful in its workmanship and rich in its history.
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