A scarce 50 foot steel ENGINEER / SURVEYOR CHAIN by Chesterman, circa 1920 For Sale

If you are looking for a scarce surveyor’s chain in fantastic condition and missing no parts, here it is. This chain is actually called an Engineer’s chain or Ramsden’s chain. Engineer chains are almost always 100 feet in length, but this one is 50 feet. It has not been modified from 100 to 50 feet, it was manufactured that way. In the 19th century, the construction of canals and railroads led to the introduction of chains 100 feet in length for ease in measuring longer distances than chains more commonly used for land surveying - that were 4 poles (1 chain) or 66 feet in length. This chain has two brass swivel handles, each marked 50 Ft on the ends. It comes complete with all 5 brass tally-tags - every 10 feet except for the center tag (marked CHESTERMAN SHEFFIELD ENGLAND - see photo) which is at midpoint or 25 feet. Each of the 50 links is one foot long. It wasmade by the famous firm of Chesterman in Sheffield, which was for a long time one of the most important manufacturing centers inEngland for precision steel instruments.

Measuring chains are also commonly referred to as Gunter’s chains because the design for a land measuring instrument was introduced in 1620 by English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter (1581–1626) long before the development of the theodoliteand other more sophisticated equipment, enabling plots of land to be accurately surveyed and plotted, for legal and commercial purposes.

Chesterman chains are difficult to date accurately because the manufacture used the same logo for more than a century. I would guess the date of this chain is circa 1920.

This chain is in good untouched original condition (see photos). There are no breaks or missing links or any condition problems. It is as good as the day it was made. 50 foot engineer chains are rare and very hard to find - so this is an exceptional chain for a discriminating collector or scientific instrument dealer. Thank you for offerding and good luck! !

International Buyers – Please Note:Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer\'s responsibility.Please check with your country\'s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to offerding or buying.