Optical Instruments: Microscopes, Binoculars, Sextans, Theodolits, Hand Scopes

Portugal

1980

200 years of Lisboan Academy of Ciences - 2v

The stamp shows at left a man with the gala uniform of the Academy and at right an optical sextans.

One of the Portugal 1978 Fishery Resource stamps depicts an optical microscope and laboratory equipment.

This Ecuador 2002 National Institute for Scholarships stamp features a student using an optical microscope.

Here is the 58c value (SG #1354) from New Zealand's November 7, 1984 set of four NZ Military History stamps.

On January 15, 1986 New Zealand issued a horizontally se-tenant strip of five different 25c stamps to commemorate the centenary of New Zealand police. One of these stamps (SG #1387) shows a forensic scientist using a stereoscopic microscope.

Bermuda
Bermuda Quincentennial
January 13. 2005
Set of six, two stamps show maps and vintage navigation tools – a telescope and a sextant.

Paraguay

1964

Here is another optical instrument designed to spy and observe human activities with the help of the eyes and his judgement: the Periscope. The traditional periscope is used mainly in submarines, but this shown here have a different application.

The two stamps from a set of 8 shows the german-american aerospace engineer Werner von Brawn (1912-1977) in the block-house control room of Cape Canaveral, monitoring the launch of a Titan II rocket. The stamp was designed upon the picture below.

Japan

Personalities - 3v

2000

Ukichiro Nakaya (1900–1962) was a Japanese physicist and science essayist known for his work in glaciology and low-temperature sciences. He is credited with making the first artificial snowflakes (wiki)

Brazil

1992

Louis Cruls - 1v

Louis Ferdinand Cruls (1848 – 1908) was a Belgian-Brazilian astronomer and geodesist and led the commission charged with the survey and selection of a future site for the capital of Brazil in the Central Plateau. He was also Director of the Brazilian National Observatory from 1881 to 1908.

The stamp shows the efygie of Louis Cruls, a map of a central region of Brazil and a theodolit at left.

Chile

1988

150 years of Nacional Society of Agriculture - 1v

The stamp shows some figures linked to agropecuary and, at center, a man observing through a microscope

On April 2, 1949 the French Administration of the Saarland issued this small, 15 fr stamp (Mi #264) to publicize/honor Saar University. A microscope is depicted.

Switzerland

Various themes - 5v

This stamp celebrates the International Surveyour Congress, held in Montreaux in 1981, Switzerland. The stamp shows a theodolite and a rod.

This April 10, 1986, 50 +25 (pf) German (BRD) charity stamp (Mi #1274) depicts an optometrist using an opthalmic slit lamp during an eye examination.

Brazil

1983

Cancer prevention - 1v

These (2) se-tenants shows at right a stamp with the effigy of Antonio Candido Camargo, a surgeon pioneer in neurosurgery in Brazil. At left, a binocular microscope.

Here is Germany's April 9, 1992, 140 pf stamp (Mi #1607) commemorating the 400th birthday of Johann Adam Schall von Bell (1591-1666). Bell was an astronomer, missionary to China and Macau, and an adviser to the Shunzi Emperor of the Qing dynasty. Stamp depicts Bell and a sixteenth century astronomer using a cross staff (early sextant).

From westsea.com, "Cross staves were generally constructed of hardwood (to prevent warping), although an ivory example has been preserved."