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There seems to be significant interest in this, perhaps unique, instrument,
first spotted by Bruce Hamilton.


http://cgi.ebay.ca/ASTRONOMIC-CALCULATOR-SEXTANT-theodolite_W0QQitemZ190265697439QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190265697439&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

It would be a pity to miss that item, which has a couple of days to go
yet before the auction ends, and it's still at just over $100.

Purchased by our list, or a subset of it, we between us could squeeze a lot
of value out of it, and then later donate it to an appropriate museum, such
as Mystic Seaport or the Mariner's Museum at Newport News (details don't
need deciding at this stage, just in-principle).

IF (and it's a big if) we could quickly identify a list member who will
volunteer to act as purchaser and custodian (if a bid succeeds), then I for
one will offer to put in an equal share of the total cost up to a maximum of
$100, if at least three others will do the same. It would be most convenient
if the
custodian happened to live within striking distance of the vendor, who is at
Eden Prairie, MN, wherever the state of MN might be (Minnesota? Maine?), as
it does seem a bit unfair to subject such a precious item to the tender
mercies of the US postal service; but that might be unavoidable.

What I would expect is that the custodian keeps it safely for, say, a few
months, making any investigation himself as he sees fit, but most
importantly, keeping  it available for members to inspect, respond to
questions, and post photos to the list as requested. It would be best, I
suggest, if we avoided transporting it about unnecessarily.

Only if such a volunteer exists (and puts his hand up now) would this
proposal work But if it did, it could give us a lot of fun.

An alternative would be if a list member bought the instrument himself off
his own bat, and then made the details avalable to the list. But wouldn't it
be a pity if it vanished into other hands?

George.

contact George Huxtable, now at george@hux.me.uk
or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222)
or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.


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