An R&J Beck Brass Monocular Microscope. England/USA, Ca 1880. Signed “R. & J. Beck, London & Philadelphia, 11417”, to the flat tripod foot, which looks much like the American style foot, the limb with inclination joint, concave mirror on a jointed arm, allowing oblique illumination opaque objects. The stage has two thin stage clips with long posts which allow them not only to grip a slide but also something thicker, Coarse focus is by straight rack and pinion, fine by micrometer screw on the limb, single objective and ocular are present. Measurement: H. 33 cm. catalogue Note: This model was first brought out in the late 1870's and made through at least 1894. It came in a simpler version with only a sliding coarse focus and in the more expensive model as shown here with rack and pinion coarse focus. The two were otherwise identical, but variations were available. A similar but somewhat less common model with the addition of a sector substage was called the 'Ideal' model and was first announced in 1881 in the JRMS. Both 'Economic' models could be supplied with the equiaxed foot seen here, or the horseshoe style foot popularized on the continent. They could also be supplied with all lacquered brass finish, or with oxidized brass finish to the housing for the optical tube and limb. Various options were available for it both above and below the stage. In the U.S.A. it was initially sold by Queen and Co in the 1870's, it was then sold 'exclusively' by W.H. Walmsley & Co. Walmsley, had worked for Queen, but left, (apparently along with the contract to sell Beck microscopes) in about 1877. Walmsley was apparently not the sole agent initially, but soon his catalogs stated he was the sole agent for Beck in the U.S.A. This model was featured prominently in the Walmsley catalogs from the late 1870's and early 1880's. Walmsley sold the simpler version, without rack and pinion coarse focusing for about 30 and the one with the rack and pinion for about 50. The microscope was advertised as a 'Medical Student's' microscope. It was quite similar in size, features, and cost to Walter Bulloch's 'New Student' microscope of about 1885, although in the author's opinion, Bulloch's stand was made to a higher standard, and had a swinging tailpiece which rotated through an axis which was at the level of the specimen rather than the type Beck provided in the 'Economic' which depended on two jointed arms which originated from an attachment below the stage. It may be Bulloch's swinging substage that inspired the 'Ideal' model with a sector type of swinging substage. Although Walmsley sold some very simple models by other makers, none of these was similar to the microscopes of Beck that he sold. This is in contrast to both Queen and McAllister. Queen supplied the Acme models made by Sidle, and McAllister supplied his own microscopes while at the same time selling Beck Microscopes. Estimate: 100-150