Unless you are a physicist, geographer, astronomer or something similar, an old scientific instrument may mean nothing to you.
That is, until you see an archaic contraption covered with green patina that your best friend has proudly displayed in the middle of the living room.
Take my word for it. There’s nothing like the endless succession of ahs and ohs emitting from all your mutual friends and acquaintances gathered around the antediluvian apparatus to make you turn green with envy.
The chances are you’ll make a decision, then and there, to get something similar, only better, for your living room.
The moral of the story is that you do not have to be a scientist or a collector of old scientific instruments to be enthralled by the charm of antique gadgets. It’s enough that you appreciate their beauty, history, uniqueness, as well as their decorative and conversation-piece value.
After you acquire a piece or two, you might stop there. Or you might discover that you are unable to stop… and become a collector driven by the wish to preserve a bit of history and document the onward march of technology. But that’s a risk worth taking!
There is a growing market of collectors fascinated by antique and vintage scientific equipment. These items were as a rule designed to look good and usually reflect the aesthetics of the time, which adds to their appeal. It is no wonder that practically every week a dozen or more antique and vintage scientific instruments are sold on bidorbuy.
The field of collecting items relating to scientific history overlaps with sectors such as antique tools, technology, medicine and maritime history.
Especially popular among collectors of antique scientific artefacts worldwide are globes, microscopes, sundials, astrolabes, scales and weights, calculators, and so on. More recently, olden-day computer equipment (dating from late 1970s and early 1980s) has become a hot new are of collecting.
So, if you are a type of person who has learned to appreciate the beauty of an old globe or a microscope, visit the bidorbuy antique scientific instruments section. With a little patience, you are sure to find what you are looking for, whether you are a serious collector seeking original and scarce items in good condition, or an amateur looking for that special decorative piece for your home or garden.
