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Let me preface this with saying that I am new to sextant ownership, having
just bought my first one a couple of months ago off ebay.  Some will say
it was not that practical of instrument, a 1919 Heath Bell Pattern
Mk III vernier sextant with automatic clamp for about $250.  The owner
knew nothing about sextants other than this one had been his father's and used
on commercial ships starting in the 1930's as it turned out it was
in very good condition (something that could not be seen in the photos),
ebay is often a dice roll that way. As an unexpected bonus one of the
sight tubes included a bubble style practice horizon.  Shortly afterward I
bought my second sextant also off ebay as a "buy it now" deal, it is a plastic
Davis Mk 25 that was being sold by someone that bought it about a decade ago
and never used it, this one I paid $100 for, which is about average or maybe a
bit low for a Mk 25, however it did also include an assortment of
nice navigation books.  Just after buying the Davis I ran across a buy it
now deal that had been posted only a couple of hours earlier on a 25 year
old C. Plath sextant for $250, unfortunetly I did not react fast enough as
someone else beat me to it (the sad thing about this is the C. Plath was
located less than 5 miles from where I keep my sailboat).  The point I am
trying to make is that deals can be found on ebay, usualy in the form of
poorly listed auctions, newly listed "buy it now" auctions with very low
prices, or just the luck of the draw where no one happend to bid on that
particular one for some unknown reason.  As to other sources for sextants,
if there are any in your area you may wish to try nautical flea markets
(it is that time of year), or nautical consignment shops.  I was in one
consignment shop in Kemah (Houston) last weekend and they had 5-6 used
sextants for sale, a month earlier they only had 1.

Ike Stewart

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006, Guy Schwartz wrote:

> I have been pondering the purchase of a sextant and I think the ASTRA IIIB Sextant
> seems to be a good value. However I have been tracking some used models that
> have sold recently on E-bay. They have been selling for around $400.00. It seem that
> I might as well buy a new one. For the 20% differential I get to choose the type I want
> and they is no question about how the instrument has been handled or it's condition.
> Am I missing something? I understand the laws of supply and demand. Having tried
> to purchase something on E-bay a while back and getting burned, I'm still gun shy.
> Comments, thoughts. Are there other sources for used sextants I should be looking at?
> Thank you,
> Guy
> we will get to the whole mirror VS. the traditional mirror next.

   

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