I just read the article, "A History of Hunting Scopes" by John Barsness in the June 2011 edition of American Rifleman Magazine.

The pictures of the first scopes reminded me of a scope my Grandfather handed down to me. I promptly searched for it in my spare bedroom's closet.

I found it as I had remembered in a leather case with belt rings on the underside. The scope has leather eyepiece and objective covers. The quick detach base was on the mounts. According to the article, the scopes of the day were considered delicate and fogged with regularity so a quick detach was used and the scope was mounted high enough to easily be looked under for iron sight use.

The base is clearly stamped "R. Noske San Francisco" and has a US patent number 1428655.

COOL!

That is absolutely C-O-O-L, all capitols. You are a lucky man to have hand-me-downs like that.
I have Krags and Colt Bisleys, but nobody used a scope in the midwest back then.

thanks for sharing...

Rich

It's really COOL, IS!

I remember being fascinated with it as a kid. Used to explore the basement at my Grandparent's house when I was about 6 or 7. It was my favorite excursion to look through all of the old things down there. Old time hand-crank coffee grinder mounted on a post near the basement stairs, his gun collection in a clothes closet. The entire collection of National Geographic magazine from the very first volume among other treasures.

I'm glad to finally learn something about the scope.

In the American Rifleman article, it said the scope went for about $50 back then and was a fortune in those days. Equivalent to $1500 today.

I've been in contact with John Barsness about this scope over on 24 Hour. He says he has one that is very similar and called my attention to the elevation knob.

I have never examined the scope thoroughly till now. The elevation knob is marked and numbered as one of today's modern scopes would be and the graduations can be seen from behind the scope.

.

It's set on 3

Whether that's MOA or just witness marks, I don't know

I think you need to mount it and see how it works !!!