GRAND VAN HEURCK MICROSCOPE (Safety Stage)

c. 1910

Maker: W. WATSON & SONS LTD.

This very uncommon accessory is made of hard rubber ('Vulcanite'), with some lacquered brass parts and reversed stage clips which gently push up on the slide to hold it aginst the brass retaining knobs. Should the user accidentally force the nosepiece and objective onto the slide itself, the springy stage clips give way, preventing damage to both slide and objective. It is signed in white letters on the Vulcanite: 'W WATSON & sons 313 HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON'. This stage was offered in the catalogs from 1885 to 1906.