K&E transit - Price / value

It's post war (1947) and without the box I would guess $100 to $200 at most if it is in good operating condition after a good cleaning.

Here is a [msg=213587]BEERLEG POST[/msg] from last year. Lot's of information about K&E Transits.

DDSM:beer:

I bought one a few years back, $200 and it included the box, legs, and he threw in a 1880 wye level...

They used to be worth more, but there's some many now on Ebay that it has driven the price down. I'd agree that $200 would be a fair price.

I have one similar with the box and the correct tripod for the period.

Someone told me that my tripod is worth more than the transit itself.

We turned a few angles when I first got it for kicks and it was in the ball park.

I paid $200 for all and for goodness sakes, a simple cleaning is ok, but please do not polish it or try and make it look like new, it deserves to be displayed the way it was used.

Randy

Alright thanks for all the advice and comments. The seller is asking 350 for it, which seems a little high to me. I am glad I checked here first, yet another reason why this site is so awesome.

Thanks,

Ryan

I looked through this post and the beerleg post. Has anyone noticed that the "East" and "West" direction indicators on the face of the compass are reversed? Think about it - aim the scope North with the magnetic needle floating. Turn to the right, which is obviously "Northeast". The zero point of the compass bearing circle aligns with the scope while the floating magnetic needle stays aligned with magnetic North, and will point to the left of zero. The magnetic needle will read "Northeast" to the left of zero. So, it reads direct even when it is labled "backwards".

I taught surveying courses with these old instruments, and they made really good learning tools for teaching how to acquire a horizontal angle and how to work with magnetic North and a declination (here in Miss'ippi, the Agonic line passed over us a few years ago). I can still set up a stiff-leg tripod with a plum bob over a point with the four-legged leveling screw system and "throw" a chain. B-)

I have one of these instruments, and plan to set it on my desk one day for a display.

Yup, pretty much all survey instruments, transits and compasses mainly, have been labeled that way for a long time, especially the ones made in the states. So it actually is labeled so you read the bearing of the line the scope is sighting.

Looks like the instrument I got my start on in 1982. Would love to have one.

What are u asking for it

I agree, "good cleaning" was a poor choice of words. What I meant was a "what is expected of the instrument man" cleaning.