Today I was trying to recall how much theodolites cost, way back in those ancient days before total stations and everything that followed. The prices that came to mind ca. 1980 were about as follows for the following Zeiss (Oberkochen) models:
Th43 (3" optical scale-reading) - about $7,000
Th2 (1" optical micrometer-reading)- about $11,000
Does anyone have a better recollection of how much the top-quality European instruments, including Wild and Kern, sold for? I would have said that the best quality theodolites that would ordinarily have been used in land surveying were unlikely to have sold for much more than $15,000, but I heard another surveyor claim that he paid considerably more and am curious to know if I've prematurely written that off as complete bullstuff.
I bought a used Kern 1" DKM2 for around $4000 roughly 1981-2 in excellent shape, if that helps. Someone should be able to look at ads in old ACSM journals. I can't get to mine right now.
- jlw
> Th43 (3" optical scale-reading) - about $7,000
>
> Th2 (1" optical micrometer-reading)- about $11,000
When I think about those prices a bit more, though, I believe I may have inflated them a bit in recollection. The Zeiss Th43 that K&E distributed in the US was basically the next step up from a K&E Paragon 30" transit, so the price must have been lower than seven grand.
Likewise, now that I think about it, it seems to me that the second generation of Zeiss total stations and semi-total stations, the RSM3 and Elta46 models, weren't that much more than around $10,000 or $12,000. So my recollection of the price of the Th2 may be on the high side as well.
> I bought a used Kern 1" DKM2 for around $4000 roughly 1981-2 in excellent shape, if that helps.
Yes, I think that I bought a used Zeiss Th2 one-second theodolite in 1985 for about $5,000, including tripod and a new case. So maybe about ten grand wasn't that far off for the new price.
I bought a K&E Paragon a couple of months ago for $140!
> I bought a K&E Paragon a couple of months ago for $140!
Yes, but before they hit the pawn shops, I think they sold new for around a couple of thousand or more. That would be ca. 1976 or so.
> > Th43 (3" optical scale-reading) - about $7,000
> >
> > Th2 (1" optical micrometer-reading)- about $11,000
To adjust those estimates for inflation, $10,000 in 1980 dollars would be equivalent to nearly $26,000 in 2009 dollars.
I bought a Wild T-2 brand new for $5200 in 1980. Still have it.
Pablo
I bought a Wild T-2 new in 1975 and paid $4500 for it. I still have it and it is still almost in a like new condition. Never turned it out for a crew to use. I bought them Lietz T-60D's for $1725±. Still have them too.
To go back much farther in time-
From the Wild Heerbrugg US price list of September 1, 1954:
T-0 Compass Theodolite $399.00
T-1 Double Center Theodolite $722.00
T-2 Universal Theodolite $1,140.00
T-3 Precision Theodolite $2,125.00
Carl...
Where they making the T-4 then, and if so what was the price?
I have only seen ONE (in person), and that was at the Jedi Temple in Silver Spring.
Loyal
Edit:
I see that Wild started making them in 1944...
http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/theodolites/wild.html
Carl...
I think my Dad paid about $2300 for his brand new T-16E with hard case back in about 1974 or so. I've still got it.
Carl...
Yes, they were making T-4's in 1954 but it wasn't considered a surveying instrument so it was not on the surveying price list.
I don't think it was ever stocked in the US but was always a special order item from the factory.
Kern DKM-3A
I was contacted by the Kern factory when they were ready to make the very last production run of DKM-3 theodolites. The price in the late 1980s was $32,000 at the time. Since I already had one, I declined to order another one.
The WILD BC-4 Photo-theodolites were $77,000 when new in the 1950s, but that included a lot of after-factory modifications for the 300 hertz syncronized shutters and capping shutters that were used for tracking ballistic missle tests. I got mine for a LOT less than that ... The BC-4 targets (built on T-2 bases) were originally $5,000 each, I got several of them for about $125 each and then modified them for daytime use.
I believe the last run of T-4s were priced at around $60,000 each in the 1980s.
I recollect my old boss telling me that when he bought a TH2 in the mid 70's that supposedly it was the 1st 1" gun Selby's had sold in the state. and they had it as a display until he could pick it up- I'm thinking he said he paid +/-$7000 at that time but I might be wrong there.