Help with binocular marking

[Albion]

I have a pair of binoculars marked US, I think they are post Civil War but I cannot find a reference to the US symbol which is on them and would be grateful if anyone can identify and/or date it. I know that US Army binoculars were issued by the Signal Corps from, I believe, Civil War times until probably WW2 and maybe later and were marked Signal Corps, I have also seen binoculars marked US Navy but these ones just have a small oval attached plate screwed to the cross piece which is marked in relief U S with a crossed anchor and sword between the letters U and S.

The binoculars, of Galilean type, were made in London by J H Steward an optician who seems to have supplied military binoculars widely in Britain and abroad. Any information about the US marking would be welcome.

 

[Albion]

 

[Albion]

Does anyone have any information about the US crossed anchor and sword?

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Seems like the navy should be involved somehow. Beautiful artifact, whenever it was made.

 

[Salterr]

Does anyone have any information about the US crossed anchor and sword?

They are a land and sea variation but I lost the page I saw it on. His company had names for each model they made. Even though Steward established himself in 1852 by 1913 the company turns to J H Steward Ltd. Many of his binoculars are late Victorian and early WW1 time frame from searching around and they're a bit short in size.

 

[Albion]

They are a land and sea variation but I lost the page I saw it on. His company had names for each model they made. Even though Steward established himself in 1852 by 1913 the company turns to J H Steward Ltd. Many of his binoculars are late Victorian and early WW1 time frame from searching around and they're a bit short in size.

Thank you, yes these are short, they are quite nice with the original case. I knew he was established in 1852 so thought there was a slight chance they were early but they looked more late 19thC, the name on the binoculars and case is before becoming limited so pre 1913, but I have now found that one of the addresses of the company on the binoculars (three addresses are etched on one of the eyepieces) was used only from about 1893 to about 1905, if the source of that information is correct, (I am always a little cautious with secondary sources), then they are of that period.

What I am really not clear on then is if the US with anchor and sword symbol is an official US governent acceptance or ownership symbol or is it a symbol to show it is a land and sea variation by Steward perhaps with US added to sell it in the US?

When you say you lost the page you saw it on is that a page in an actual book or did you mean a web page?

 

[Albion]

I just found a similar pair with same anchor and sword plate that were in auction last year, they were described as Spanish-American war period and with an owners name with possible date of 1889 so that supports the likely date of mine as 1893-1905 due to one of the company addresses.

Early U.S military Spanish American War period binoculars by J.H Steward, 406-66-456 St Reno & 54 Co North London with name of owner S.C. Johnston ARCUIN 89 (1889) scratched under anti-glair cover on left, the T & O of Johnston are over a O & N as th

Early U.S military Spanish American War period binoculars by J.H Steward, 406-66-456 St Reno & 54 Co North London with name of owner S.C. Johnston ARCUIN 89 (1889) scratched under anti-glair cover on left, the T & O of Johnston are over a O & N as the person who stamped the name has originally...

hansonslive.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

 

[Salterr]

Thank you, yes these are short, they are quite nice with the original case. I knew he was established in 1852 so thought there was a slight chance they were early but they looked more late 19thC, the name on the binoculars and case is before becoming limited so pre 1913, but I have now found that one of the addresses of the company on the binoculars (three addresses are etched on one of the eyepieces) was used only from about 1893 to about 1905, if the source of that information is correct, (I am always a little cautious with secondary sources), then they are of that period.

What I am really not clear on then is if the US with anchor and sword symbol is an official US governent acceptance or ownership symbol or is it a symbol to show it is a land and sea variation by Steward perhaps with US added to sell it in the US?

When you say you lost the page you saw it on is that a page in an actual book or did you mean a web page?

I'm not totally convinced that the US would bother to install plates like that as an acceptance mark vs just some letter or symbol like they'd mark their weapons. Binoculars weren't issued as far as I know and were probably privately purchased. I do think and again just my thought that the symbol is just indicative of land and sea.

The pages were web pages that I can't recall. I bounced from a lot of pages trying to match the symbol and check the references on dates. I didn't realize the binoculars had an address on them but I think that time frame seems accurate. There are a good amount of binocular threads on here to search too. Maybe someone already answered what we're looking at in some older post.

 

[Salterr]

I just found a similar pair with same anchor and sword plate that were in auction last year, they were described as Spanish-American war period and with an owners name with possible date of 1889 so that supports the likely date of mine as 1893-1905 due to one of the company addresses.

Early U.S military Spanish American War period binoculars by J.H Steward, 406-66-456 St Reno & 54 Co North London with name of owner S.C. Johnston ARCUIN 89 (1889) scratched under anti-glair cover on left, the T & O of Johnston are over a O & N as th

Early U.S military Spanish American War period binoculars by J.H Steward, 406-66-456 St Reno & 54 Co North London with name of owner S.C. Johnston ARCUIN 89 (1889) scratched under anti-glair cover on left, the T & O of Johnston are over a O & N as the person who stamped the name has originally...

hansonslive.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk

I'm glad you found that information and shared it. Span Am stuff is getting up there in collectibility and it's a great looking piece you have. I'd check that off as a win.

 

[Albion]

I'm glad you found that information and shared it. Span Am stuff is getting up there in collectibility and it's a great looking piece you have. I'd check that off as a win.

Thanks yes, it was only after a while that I saw there were several company addresses marked on the eyepiece as they are quite feint, the case just has the one address stamped on it; the main one of Steward at 406 Strand which they used throughout so little help with dating.

Yes I think they are a win as they are in good condition and cost very little, and I like old binoculars up to WW1, there is not so much interest in binoculars in Britain unless they are WW2 German and then they go for crazy amounts of money!

I think some US binoculars were issued which is why you see them marked Signal Corps as they were responsible for issuing them to the army in general, as far as I know, I don't know when that started but I have a WW1 era pair marked SIGNAL CORPS US ARMY made by Bausch and Lomb, the case is stamped R.I.A. for Rock Island Arsenal. I also have another Bausch and Lomb pair made in USA but issued to British Army with Broad Arrow mark on the binoculars and the case and also with name marked on them of a British Artillery Officer who checks out in the records as being in latter part of WW1 in Mesopotamia.

No doubt for officers in US and Britain binoculars were often private purchase items and presumably the plate attached to the J H Steward pair is to encourage US officers of either Army or Navy to buy them for service use, or, another thought, maybe Steward got a contract with US War Dept to supply some binoculars and the company marked them with those little plates because as you say it seems very unlikely the US authorities would have marked them in such a way themselves, maybe the answer is in some old posts I will have to have a search.

You may already have seen this but here is link to where I found some information on the company and usefully dates for the addresses they used;

J H Steward Limited | Science Museum Group Collection

Opticians and scientific instrument makers,James Henry Steward (1817–1896) established J.H. Steward in London in 1852. As “Head Optician”. J.H Steward became incorporated as J.H. Steward Limited on 1st February, 1913. The company produced a large range of items for military use and advertised in...

collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk

 

[Albion]

I have just found a page that I remembered seeing some time ago, according to the sellers these are Civil War era binoculars, they are marked Signal Service US Army and the case is likewise also nicely embossed. They claim these are one of only 6 known pairs and the only ones with marked case, whether they are that rare I wouldn't know but they are nice items.

U.S. Signal Service Binoculars / Sold

uniondb.com