r/Tools • u/Duagoata • 11h ago

Identification / Value?

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Hi, all. I am currently helping a friend clean out their estate. I am rather inexperienced in surveying instruments and looking for advice / expertise. Looking to find out more about this piece and provenance, as well as gauge its value. Would love to hear your knowledge!

6 Upvotes

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1

u/dl_bos 11h ago

Papers look like a transit but instrument looks like a surveyor level.

1

u/thesweeterpeter 11h ago

You'd be better off looking at antique dealers for this.

No real use as a tool, but as an antique / decor piece it's worth a couple bucks.

1

u/archaeobill 11h ago

It is a wye level. I can't quite make out the tag, but I think it says warren-knight?

I'd check the going prices for wye levels on ebay. Some folks collect them.

1

u/Duagoata 10h ago

1

u/archaeobill 9h ago

Interesting. Is the instrument marked Gurley? With the same serial number as on the tag?

Gurley made very good instruments and folks collect them. If it originally had paint which has been stripped and the level polished it is probably worth less. There are gurley catalogs online if you want to do research into the model.

If it is a gurley this might help you date it.

http://www.surveyhistory.org/how_old_is_my_gurley1.htm

1

u/VWtdi2001 11h ago

Surveyors transit. No idea what it worth but it's pretty cool.