Kriegsmarine Binoculars?

[sweguy]

Hi everyone, what about these binoculars? The seller said that his granddad traded these for a package of cigarettes with a U-boat captain at sea. I find it strange in some way with the material under the paint, so I would appreciate autencity. What would it be worth?

Thanks Sweguy

[douglas2496]

I have only a little knowledge of German binoculars but these look authentic enough to me. I see they are marked with the eagle and M underneath of the Kriegsmarine, but these are not the usual waterproff type I would expect to be used on U boats. I will be interested to hear what more knowledgable members have to say.

[sweguy]

Thanks for your really quick answer. The seller asks very much, 1300$ and it seems that he knows nothing about it at all more than it's from ww2. So I thought of giving him a MUCH MUCH lower price just to see if he accepts it. What would you pay for these?

[CBH]

I would say that price is crazy , 300 / 400 at the most . With clear optics !
Cheers Chris

[sweguy]

Thank you, yes indeed it's crazy and he doesn't seem to know what it's worth at all. I have offered him 150$, if he thinks he can sell it for 1300 he will be chocked! But worth a try.

[drmessimer]

Sweguy: They could have been used on a U-boat, but not necessarily. The fact that they are not rubber armored doesn't disqualify them because not all German, or anybody else's, naval binoculars were. But binoculars used by a U-Boat captain probably were the armored variety, in part because of the rough duty and in part because of the man's rank and position. The price might not be unduly high if the glasses are still sharp, the parallax correction has not been disturbed, and if it could be established that they did in fact come off a U-Boat. I have a set of Zeiss 7X50 armored bridge glasses that are forty+ years old and in excellent shape despite years of hard use. They have a current value of about $2000, but I have no intention of selling them. I have no idea what the current value would be for the model you posted, but it would be right up there in the high-price category if they are in great shape and have a history. As for the story about the trade at sea, that sounds like a yarn to me. I can't imagine any U-Boat captain trading away his bridge glasses for a pack of cigarettes, unless he was about to go into a POW pen and wouldn't be needing them anymore. They are a nice looking set of glasses, but I agree that they are probably at least a tad over-priced. Dwight

[CBH]

Good luck , with them . Lots of fakes out there . Hope you get a few more opinions on these , before you spend any money .

[Neil Hever]

Composition looks to be brass - wouldn't that be a marine type? NH

[drmessimer]

Neil Hever: You're right they are brass and there is little doubt about them being marine glasses. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, most good binoculars were made of brass whether they were specifically intended for marine use or not. I'm not sure, but I think Germany pioneered the manufacture of binoculars with a sort of pot metal during WWI. I have owned German Army type 08 binoculars that were made of that material. But you're right, marine glasses were nearly always brass. Dwight

[Flak bunker]

The plates should be aluminium,the colour you see on them is the undercoat mainly used by zeiss and others it consists of a copper wash,they should be a quite early numbered zeiss,but the price the guy is asking is mad in this condition I would pay no more than $300 and that isn't a bad price, he may find some one willing to pay $ 400 could you send me the number and a few better photos please?either private message or on the board,