1960 Questar 3.5 Standard for the Collector - All Original + Extras For Sale
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1960 Questar 3.5 Standard for the Collector - All Original + Extras:
$2750.00
The Questar 3.5, often referred to as the finest small telescope in the world, was the brainchild of Lawrence Braymer (1901-65), an American commercial artist who devoted eight years to creating and building a high-precision telescope that was also portable. His work came to fruition in 1954 with the first Questar 3.5 telescope: \"an astronomical observatory in a half-cubic foot case.\" With its \"folded-optics\" design, the Questar is a telescope with a 5-foot focal length packed into a tube just eight inches long. Over the years, the optics in the Questar have proven to meet such high standards that these \"Made in the USA\" telescopes produce images whose resolution exceeds theoretical limits. With a design so efficient that it has remained virtually unchanged since its introduction 60 years ago, Questars have been the prized possession of such prominent Americans as Johnny Carson, author Arthur C. Clarke, Marlon Brando, and Senator Barry Goldwater, to name just a few.
This particular Questar was made in 1960. Its serial number is #0-664, making it the 615th Questar ever produced. As such, it is likely that it was handled - even tested - by Mr. Braymer himself before it was sold. Its first owner was motivated in his purchase ($995 - the equivalent of $7750 in today\'s dollars) by the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and Project Mercury in 1959. This scope is all original: second-generation Questar badges, correct early off-axis solar filter, black Synthane baseplate, English saddle leather case. As you can see, it is a beautiful blue jewel, 54 years and counting. And remember: it has the same 1/8th wave MATCHED optical set, made specifically for Questar by Cumberland Optical, that modern Questars have! All the original components - 2 original eyepieces (40-80X and 80-160X), three tabletop legs, blue dew shield with the major constellations silk screened onto it, front lens diaphragm, power cord for its internal siderial drive - are included. It\'s all there! Also included are the two rare, period-correct Questar booklets pictured, as well as an original brown vinyl slipcover to protect the leather case.
Collectors: the only Questars that are earlier than this style were made 1954-56 and have inferior, non-matched, 1/4 wave optical sets that predate Questar\'s relationship with Cumberland. Collectible Questars of this vintage are seldom offered, in any condition. Examples this nice only come along once every several years.
As you can see, this listing offers you a Buy it Now Option as well as a Make Offer option. You are WELCOME to make me an offer. Sales are limited to the USA, and I will pay for insured shipping to the Lower 48. If you are interested, but live somewhere else, please write me before you make an offer to buy and we can try to work something out. I have provided 12 photos - let me know if you want to see something else, and I will send a photo to you through ebay. Please write me if you have questions about the Questar, too.
Thanks, and good luck!
**Addendum** I just had the Questar out in my backyard, where I examined the veined leaves of my Ginkgo tree in the direct sunlight. I used both eyepieces, with and without the telescope\'s internal Barlow lens in place. In all combinations, the image snapped into focus - one of the marks of fine optics. Mechanically, the movement in both axes is smooth and positive, with no binding or slippage. The focus mechanism is smooth in both directions, and the Questar exhibits virtually no image shift. In both appearance and function, it is more like a 4-year-old telescope than a 54-year-old one. I have also added two new photos. #11 shows the condition of the primary mirror. It was taken without flash. As you can see, the mirror has 6-7 small spots, randomly scattered across its surface - not the pattern you would see if it were in the process of being degraded by fungus and moisture, which start along the circumference and move inward. Is its brightness diminished by these? Yes - but given their size and number, certainly less than 2%. Photo #12 shows the condition of the corrector lens. This photo was taken with flash, and shows that it has a bit of dust on its front surface, but is without coating issues. Lastly, the color of the Questar\'s blue optical tube and dew shield vary with the type and angle of the light that is illuminating them. In the hand, they show no wear or fading, but are uniformly blue and beautiful. Thanks.
**Addendum 2** I just reread a timeline of Questar developments I had forgotten I had access to. I was reminded that Questar didn\'t turn to Cumberland for its optical sets until 1959, making this one of the oldest, and certainly one of the nicest, scopes known to exist with the same high-quality 1/8th wave minimum optical performance that modern Questars have.
