We had someone stop by our office the other day with an old K and E Transit. The instrument was found in relatives workshop recently and is up for sale. The transit is a smaller version of a K and E that I have seen in the past. The case appears to original case and has the serial number plate that matches the serial number on the face of the compass. The serial no. is 23623 and I am not sure if this gives a clue to the age of the instrument or the name of the model. The glass is all intact on the compass and the vernier cover. The compass works well when released and the cross-hairs are still intact. The optics need cleaning and it is a restoration project for someone. The seller also has the tripod
Does anyone who collects know what the going price is on an old K and E like this one?
1911 for that serial number.
Best guess on value would be to check completed listings on ebay for comparable transits. Condition is everything when it comes to value.
I have a small collection of older instruments collected over the years. My personal opinion is to stay away from Ebay if possible. Most of the stuff is either over-rated or over priced.
A good alternative to see what some folks value older instruments at is:
Send me a couple of pictures of the instrument along with some dimensions (length of needle, diam of horz circle, diam of vert circle, length of scope) and I'll look it up and give you an estimate. Email me at:
ingram AT cfw DOT com