Eventually, you just want to have one again—a genuine Zeiss telescope!

The opportunity arose with an eBay listing that I snapped up in 2021.

A friendly reply from Markus Ludes arrived promptly: "Hello Gerd, thanks for your purchase! I picked out the finest objective lens for you from among all the units available!"

A very fine "E" 50/540 lens with a serial number indicating an early, more elaborate production process, arrived in a package a few days later.

It then sat packed away at home for some time until 2022, when Harald Richter, a German collector and amateur astronomer, offered a fully functional tube assembly featuring a smooth-operating rotary focuser for a Zeiss 50/540 objective. 

All that remained was to slide the objective in and position it correctly for the light path of the zenith prism. This is made possible by the precisely fitting tube diameter and black velvet paper. The objective fits snugly inside the metal tube.

Constructing a suitable case for storing and transporting the telescope was the actual  project. I used photos of wooden cases for historic Zeiss travel telescopes as a reference. There was enough birch plywood left over from completed projects to build the case; only the edge trim and ball corners needed to be purchased.

The case now has room for the telescope and its accessories—including original Zeiss eyepieces (H-25, O-16, O-10, and O-6) and a small AYO alt-azimuth travel mount with a rod and counterweight. A zenith prism and an Amici prism fit into a small box.

The finish in a historically accurate gray, complete with the appropriate Zeiss Jena decal, was necessary to do justice to the contents. A lightweight, collapsible aluminum tripod from Sirui complements the contents of the case, creating a ready-to-use compact telescope.

A nice little grab & go telescope :-)