Science and Technology

RWB Auctions is proud to offer a varied range of vintage and antique science and technology items as part of our monthly general sales.

Our department boasts a significant expertise in 20th century consumer technology including telegraphy items by the Marconi Company and pieces associated with early television including John Logie Baird’s Televisor. There is a strong niche collectors market for valve and transistor radios from manufacturers like Ecko as well as cameras made by Leica, Kodak and Rollei. Audio devices from Nakamichi, Pioneer and Sony are growing in popularity, as is computing equipment from DEC and Apple. Telephony from the likes of Berliner, Bell and Ericson are a source of nostalgia for some with video games and consoles attracting a new generation of collectors.

We also consign scientific instruments and equipment from the 16th century through to the present day. This includes microscopes, telescopes and binoculars, navigational instruments like globes and astrolabes, weighing and measuring devices, tools of all kinds, early cameras, and medical and optical equipment. Our in-house specialists are available to value single items and collections focused on engineering, military technology, transport and mining. Pieces produced by the fine scientific instrument makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, including George Adams Senior, Jesse Ramsden and Edward Nairne, all sell well. As our salerooms are located close to Great Western Railway’s historic Swindon Works, we are particularly interested in items related to locomotive history.

Collectors might also be interested in our Clocks Department.