J03252 (IJN) CASED AIR-BUBBLE SEXTANT. A blackened alloy sextant, with accessories, within a 10 3/4" x 5 1/2" x 6 3/4", wooden box. The dark brown box has dove-tailed corners, and a lid with dual metal hinges to its reverse and two swiveling aluminum latches mating with metal screws to its forward edge. 1" wide, dual-ply webbed canvas straps are riveted to either side of the box, the free end of the shorter, 6 1/2" long, strap being wrapped and sewn around a brown-colored alloy buckle. The other, 16 1/4" long, strap passes over the top of the box and mates with the aforementioned buckle. Riveted to the top of the lid is a 1 3/4" x 1" alloy plate with kanji characters embossed to it and a serial number stamped to it. The interior of the box has four sculpted pieces of wood attached to its floor, and three smaller pieces to its lid, to hold the sextant in place. A tattered piece of paper, with divisions and kanji characters to it, is also glued to the interior floor. To the upper left corner of the interior is an "L" shaped wooden divider, followed by a piece of wood with a 1 1/4" diameter hole, two 3/8" diameter holes, and two 1/16" diameter holes drilled into it. The smaller holes each have a 2 3/8" tall, blued metal pins, both with hooked ends, both exhibiting moderate surface spotting, fitted into them. The large hole has two blackened alloy disks dropped into it, one with a white filter and a 7/8" tall post, the other with a black filter and no post. The post to the white filter is slid unto a small block of wood with a corresponding hole drilled through it. Alongside the piece of wood with multiple drill holes is another with a rectangular depression to it, and a swiveling toggle alongside it. An aluminum bubble level with a 1 5/16" diameter movable disk attached to it is fitted into the rectangular depression and locked into place by the toggle. Three kanji characters are stamped to either side of an arrow to the upper surface of the disk. The sextant itself, seated unto its sculpted brackets within the box, is approximately 9 1/2" in overall length. Its right forward section features a flange for the thumb to its underside and its uppermost surface is molded to fit the fingers. A large dial is to the reverse of this section, which, when moved, advances the indicator with large red numbers and smaller increments of sixty, positioned along the side above the thumb flange. A screw-off cap is to the front of this section, which, when unscrewed, reveals a 1 3/8" diameter cavity for a battery. "05," and anchor and the accompanying inspection symbol used by the Tokyo Office Supervisor of the Naval Technical Department, and "N18" is stamped alongside the thumb flange. Behind this section, but still to the right side of the sextant, is a pentagonal compartment with a 1 9/16" x 1 3/16" white plate, upon which are divisions and kanji characters, riveted to it. A 1 1/4" x 5/8" alloy plate is also riveted to the reverse of this compartment, this plate being almost identical to that to the top of the box, but with a different serial number and with the addition of an anchor and the previously mentioned inspection symbol. Spaces are also provided for the recording of a date, although none is filled in. The left side of the sextant has an open top and bottom, and features its eyepiece to the reverse. The rubber cup around the eyepiece and the rubber edging beneath it are both significantly dried and cracked. Forward of the eyepiece are several movable, rectangular filters, and the front of this side features an angled tube with a lens and one of the circular filters, with a post, slid over it. Beneath this lens is a movable aluminum disk, and hidden bubble level, identical to that already described. "05," the anchor and the, now familiar, accompanying inspection symbol, and "N16" is stamped to the angled tube. A large, 2 13/16" diameter knob is to the left side, which has sliding toggle within a groove along its edge, to either end of which are kanji characters. A three-position toggle is between this knob and the body of the sextant, which also has corresponding kanji characters alongside it. Another, smaller knob is also to the left side of the instrument, but it does not appear to move. Surface scratching and edge wear is evident to most of the surfaces of the sextant, most of its rubber components have hardened and fallen off into the box, and the exterior of the box is typically edge worn, age soiled, and surface scratched.

GRADE ***1/2                             PRICE $495.00

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