This spyglass was issued by the National Maritime Historical Society to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the legendary Cutty Sark tea clipper. The Cutty Sark is one of the last of the great British clipper ships built to race across the globe from China to London for the tea trade in 1869, before the opening of the Suez Canal created a much shorter route. Cutty Sark went from the tea trade to trading in wool from Sydney to London where she held the record time to Britain for ten years. This authentic, fully functional, re-creation of a 19th-century extending telescope is precision engineered in solid brass. It's lavishly accented with 24 karat gold polished by hand to a gleaming finish and enhanced with authentic markings to capture the look and feel of the instrument that inspired it. The spyglass sits atop an ornate sea serpent of the design type associated with the Chinese tea trade. The pocket telescope consists of 4 extendable sections. It was made in 1997 for the National Maritime Historical Society by the Franklin Mint. It's vintage character includes age spots or tarnish along the telescope itself and a piece of lint visible on the lens when looking through the scope. Approximate Dimensions Spyglass Extended: 13 and 3/8 inches (33.97 cm) Spyglass Diameter: 1 and 3/8 inches (3.49 cm)Hardwood Base: Length 9 inches (22.86 cm) x Width 5 inches (17.70 cm)
