K+E Keuffel & Esser SURVEYOR TRANSIT Level Brass-Steel Start Price USD 200.00 Current Price USD 200.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, November 18, 2008 End Time Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Location Grants Pass, Oregon See more about 'K+E Keuffel & Esser SURVEYOR TRANSIT Level Brass-Steel' Description K+E Keuffel & Esser SURVEYOR TRANSIT Level Brass-Steel       Description K+E Keuffel & Esser Co. SURVEYOR TRANSIT Level Brass-Steel Very Nice! There is one chip in the coaling. You can view it on the 1st picture. # 179863 I have the legs if you want to pay for the shipping. It can come with the this Item only by request. This is from the 80s I believe. It has Class and in mint condition. Everything is in perfect order. The transit will need to be calibrated after shipping if you plan on using it. This is a true Show piece for your living room, office or it is still opperable for level shots for Landscapers or Contractors.   This is one of my collector pieces that I am letting go of because I am raising capital for my wifes opperations this December. History Wilhelm J. D. Keuffel and Herman Esser were partners in the firm of Keuffel & Esser which was founded in July 1867.  The firm was incorporated in New Jersey in February 1889 and became Keuffel & Esser Company.   They first manufactured surveying instruments in 1885. Wilhelm J. D. Keuffel was born at Walbeck in Thuringen, Germany in 1838 and died in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1908.  Herman Esser was born at Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany in 1845.  He retired from Keuffel & Esser Co. in 1902.  He was back in Bad Godesberg am Rheim, Germany in April of 1902 and died there in April 1908. Reference:  Smart, Charles E.   The Makers Of Surveying Instruments In America Since 1700  Troy, New York:  Regal Art Press.  1962 KEUFFEL & ESSER CORPORATION        HISTORICAL TIME LINE     1867 - K&E founded by William J. D. Keuffel & Herman Esser at 79 Nassau St., Manhattan.             Sold drawing materials and drafting tools. William J. D. Keuffel president until 1908.   1868 - First catalog published.   1869 - First production of their own hard rubber curves and triangles.   1870 - Moved to, and began manufacturing at 116 Fulton St.   1871 - K&E starts manufacturing in Dutch Street, New Your City.   1873 - Store established at 111 Fulton St., soon expanded to include 119 Fulton St.   1875 - Manufacturing moved to Third and Grand Streets, Hoboken, NJ.   1876 - Instruments added to sales line. Most likely these were made by             Stackpole & Brother Instruments.             First of the K&E Steel Tapes made.   1878 - Showroom and offices added at 127 Fulton Street and 42 Ann Street.   1880 - New factory built at Third and Adams, Hoboken, NJ. First slide rules imported.   1884 - Second factory built. Opened on January 24th 1885   1885 - First surveying instruments to be manufactured by K&E.                        1891 - First slide rules using Cox's duplex construction manufactured by K&E.             Chicago Branch established.   1892 - K&E added 4 more stories to their building at 127 Fulton Street making it 8 stories high.             First K&E catalog in Spanish was published.   1894 - St. Louis Branch, MO. established.   1900 - San Francisco, CA. Branch established. Second and third factory buildings added.   1902 - Herman Esser retires.   1905 - Fire at Adams Street Iron Foundry destroys part of K&E factory.   1907 - New factory built at Hoboken, NJ.   1908 - Montreal, Canada Branch established. On October 1st founder  William J. D. Keuffel dies.   1908 to 1942   W. G. Keuffel as president (son of the founder).   1916 - First Glass for optics made by K&E.   1918 - Young & Sons Inc. of Philadelphia, PA purchased by K&E and moved in 1922 to Hoboken, NJ.             Young and Sons Department established at the end of 1922 with totally new designs of Instruments             that were less expensive to produce, and serial numbers were then numbered in the K&E sequence.            Young & Sons Incorporated, by Alfred C. Young March 17 1917. Alfred C. Young died May 1918.            Young & Sons Incorporated, by K&E  January 2 1920. Young & Sons Inc. dissolved Jan 3 1920.            Somewhere in low 12,000s serial numbers markings changed from Young & Sons Inc.            to  Keuffel & Esser Y&S Dept., but still with old Young & Sons Inc. serial number sequence.            Young & Sons Inc. is listed in Philadelphia Directories through 1921 with Max Montzne ( sp?) as manager.            Young & Sons Inc. Dissolved, by K&E  Dec 20 1921.   1935 - K&E Research and Testing Laboratories reorganized, centralized and enlarged.             1936 - Detroit, MI.  Branch established.   1939 - Los Angeles, CA Branch established.   1941 - K&E enters wartime programs and greatly expands production.   1942 to 1946  C. M. Bernegau as president.   1944 - K&E builds copies of the Wild T-2 for the US Military.   1946 - K&E builds first 10 second optically read theodolite             prototype for US Army, but not put into production,             only one made and not marked.   1946 to 1951 Karl Keuffel as president.   1949 - Optical Tooling Instruments line introduced. K&E introduces P5087 Paragon             10 second Direction Theodolite which the circles are optically read.   1950 to 1961 C. W. Keuffel as president.   1956 - 1962 - New six digit model numbers are introduced replacing the 4 digit model numbers.   1958 - K&E begins major expansion of R&D in optics, electronics and chemistry.   1959 - K&E Optics and Metrology Division established.   1960 - New wing of K&E central chemistry laboratory opened.   1961 to ?       A. E. Busch  as president   1961 - K&E enters audio and visual field and increases photogrammetry.   1962 - The DECILON slide rule introduced.             Sitemarker Instruments made by David White Corp. Labeled as K&E appear in catalog.   1965 - Corporation went public listed on NASDAQ.   1967 - New Home Office and Research Center built at Morristown NJ.             Assembly of instruments and photo reproduction continues.   1967 - All instrument manufacturing began at K&E subsidiary of York Products Corp.,             Kennebunk, ME. Assembly was done at Morristown, NJ . 1969 - Optical tooling production at Teterboro, NJ.   1974 - K&E builds optically read "Degree Theodolite" prototype for the US Army,             only a small number produced.   1982 - K&E bankrupt files chapter 11   1982 - Azon buys Paper product line from K&E and ownership of all K&E Trademarks.   1982 - Kratos Corp. buys the facility at Morristown, NJ. Optical Tooling Instruments             and some Surveying Instruments continued to be made for a short time. Vectron              electronic theodolites produced. Kratos Corp. leases K&E name and trademarks             from Azon Corp.   1986 - Cubic Precision Corp. buys Optical Tooling line from Kratos Corp. and             moves all production to Teterboro, NJ. Leases K&E name and trademarks             from Azon Corp. All production stops at Morristown, NJ.   1997 - Brunson Instrument Corp. buys Optical Tooling line from Cubic Precision             drops all K&E trademarks and renames the company Brunson New Jersey.             They move all manufacturing to Kansas City, KS. Dropping some of their line             of optical tooling in favor of that as produced by Cubic Precision. Assembly             of  products and repairs continues at Teterboro, NJ. As of April 2007 the             Teterboro, NJ plant will close soon.             Brunson's web site: http://www.brunson.us/       Place a Bid!