Wednesday 8 April 2009

515 Leeuwenhoek microscopes still not accounted for.

I was at Christies Auction room in South Ken today and watched the Leeuwenhoek microscope sell for a staggering £313,250. It was found in box of laboratory impedimenta from the zoological department of Leiden and purchased by the present owner. The catalogue description goes on to say that of the over 550 microscopes made only nine are known to be extant.He gifted 26 silver examples, now worth just over £8million, to the Royal Institution, who it would appear have managed to lose the whole lot! It might be worth them looking through their own boxes of laboratory impedimenta to see if they can find them. Anyway that still leaves over 515 for the rest of us to find.Good hunting!

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