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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shangas, post: 242338, member: 360&quot;]Picked these up today for cheap. </p><p><br /></p><p>Early 1900s or late 1800s French-made tri-focal binoculars. Originally I thought there was no maker&#039;s mark, but then I saw the six-pointed star, with a &#039;C&#039; inside it, stamped on the bridge, which is the trademark for COLMONT, a French manufacturer of binoculars and opera-glasses. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]74182[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>What makes these different from regular binoculars or opera glasses of their type is that they are tri-focal... </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]74183[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>They were designed to have three different focusing strengths... </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]74178[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>...and settings, which told you which strength was supposed to be best for different scenarios. They are... </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]74179[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>&#039;THEATRE&#039;, which is the weakest setting, designed for use in theaters and opera-houses. This is the first setting. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]74180[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>FIELD, for use outdoors in open land. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]74181[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>And the last, and strongest setting, is MARINE, for use at sea. </p><p><br /></p><p>I have seen a few of these trifocal binoculars, and they seem to have been both common, and expensive, and date back in design as far as the 1860s or 70s, but this is the first pair I&#039;ve seen in really decent, working condition, which I could hold with my own two hands! <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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