Auction Team Breker - Spring Auction of Science and Technology

Cologne, Germany, 16 May 2009.

Auction Team Breker in Cologne/Germany is pleased to announce the annual spring auctions of Science and Technology and Photographica and Film. Featuring approx. 900 lots, the auction is presented in two catalogues, lots 1 - 471 for office antiques, scientific instruments, mechanical music and toys, lots 500 - 916 for vintage photographica, classic cameras and optical toys.

The auction takes place on Saturday 16th May 2009 at 3pm. Viewing is available Friday 15th May from 4 – 7pm, and the day of the sale from 8 – 10am. There will be a special reception with buffet on the Friday evening. Live internet bidding, telephone bidding and absentee bids are provided for those unable to attend in person

Antique scientific instruments and early technology continues to achieve strong prices, defying the global credit crunch. As the only auctioneer worldwide to specialise exclusively in this field, we are always delighted to hear from collectors and enthusiasts, whether you are considering adding to your collection, or simply seeking advice on the sale of one piece or many. For further information, please telephone 01149 (0) 2236 38 43 40, fax 01149 (0) 2236 38 43 430, e-mail: Auction@Breker.com, or visit the website www.breker.com. We hope to see you at the sale. Here's a summary of just some of the highlights...



Session 1: Science & Technology, Office Antiques and Mechanical Music & Toys.

The fourth instalment of the legendary Remington Typewriter Museum and L.C. Smith & Corona Collection presents six landmark North American typewriters, highlighted by the first and only known example of “The Horton" , forerunner of the Bar-Lock, lot 210, estimate €18,000-25,000. Popular writing machines from both sides of the Atlantic, such as the Odell, Lambert, the Mignon's, and the Hammond No. 1 are also well represented in the sale. Other rare copying devices include a James Watt-type portable duplicator, lot 84, estimate €500 -800, and the iconic Edison Electric Pen, lot 136, estimate €8,000 - 10,000. Also of interest to collectors of Edisonia are lot 135, a remarkable Edison Mimeograph Typewriter No. 1, estimate €3,000-4,000, and lot 271, an early Edison Bi-Polar Electric Fan, estimate €3,000-4000.

A large selection of traditional scientific instruments includes a fine lacquered brass Charles Chevalier Horizontal Microscope, lot 343, estimate € 2,000 - 3,000, microscopy slides, demonstration apparatus, medical instruments, literature, calculators, an 18th Century vellum spyglass, lot 778, estimate €400-700, and an exhibition-standard brass replica of Daniel Heckinger's Armillary Sphere, lot 315, estimate €2,200 – 2,800.

Session 2: Photographica & Film.

The second session charts the development of photography from the daguerreotype to the disguised spy cameras of the mid 20th century, and beyond. Of particular note is a superb French Daguerrian Photographer's Outfit, lot 871, estimate €25,000 - 30,000, comprising a walnut sliding box camera with brass Jarmin lens, two wooden plate holders, a mercury fuming box, and a portrait of three gentlemen thought to have been exposed by the self-same camera. Other early apparatus includes a rare four-lens Jules Reygondaud French Carte-de-visite Camera, lot 872, estimate €7,000 - 9,000, designed to capture four identical 4 x 5.5 cm images, and lot 693, an early numbered example of the ingenious Water-filled Panoramic Lens, estimate €8,000 - 12,000, patented by Sutton, and perfected by London optician Thomas Ross. The 1859 design was the first significantly wide-angle lens to be offered for sale; its distinctive globe shape was created by taking two lenses of extreme curvature enclosing a hollow space filled with crystal clear water to form a perfect sphere.

Two important photographic archives will also be offered.. Lot 883, estimate €5,000-10,000, contains 106 exhibition photographs taken by a young Stanley Kubrick during this formative years as a photo-journalist for American Look Magazine. Though only seventeen in 1945, Kubrick's early images of an edgy New York and Chicago already possess the precision and confidence that was to characterise his films.

The second archive, lot 300, estimate €2,000-3,000, charts the career of American hero Charles Lindbergh, from 1925 – 1970, incorporating original press clippings, historical photographs, and correspondence about the aviator and The Spirit of St. Louis.

Collectable classics include lots of Leica cameras, lenses and accessories, rangefinder Canon, Nikon, Zeiss, Hasselblad, Linhof and Rolleiflex. For collectors with smaller pockets are a group of subminiature or "spy” cameras, suitably sized and disguised as everyday items. Rounding off the sale are over thirty lots of magic lanterns, optical toys, vintage movie cameras and viewers , including lot 913, an American Mutoscope whose original reel is intriguingly titled "The Painter and His Model,” estimate €2,000 - 3,000. To discover what the painter, or indeed the butler saw, please visit the website www.breker.com and click the Live Auctions button for the fully-illustrated online catalogue at ArtFact.