MiniatureBinoculars.com

As our holdings of miniature binoculars and catalogs have gotten massive, and as Covid has made international acquisition/shipment much more difficult or impossible, it has become harder to entertain myself with new postings. Since most brand names used on miniature pattern binoculars were also used on larger conventional binoculars, I thought it might be fun to explore that aspect of binoculars. It is also a way to visually show that size does not necessarily correlate to magnification, and that within the nature of contract manufacturing of Japanese binoculars the importer/exporter/ distributor or retailer “brand” normally indicates nothing about the manufacturer.

Big and Small: Binolux

The “Binolux” brand trade mark was owned by product distributor was Compass Instrument and Optical Co. Inc. (also known under the related entity Compass Industries Inc), of New York USA, who made Binolux one of the most common brand names on miniature pattern binoculars imported from Japan into the USA.

My smaller Binolux m-60 binoculars are 10x magnification (10x20), and by logo were manufactured by Omori Sogo Kogaku. My larger Binolux binoculars are 7x magnification (7x35), with manufacturer unknown.

Big and Small: Mercury

The “Mercury” brand trade mark was owned by U.S. importer/ distributor Jake Levin & Son, who had used the Mercury brand since 1964 and who had established the trademark in 1969, and where the trade mark brand transferred to successors were importer/distributors Jason Empire Inc, and then later Bushnell Inc.

Big and Small: Dacote

Colorado regional Sporting Goods chain and mail order business Dave Cook Sporting Goods Co. inc. (est. 1936) was observed to have advertised their non trade marked “Dacote” brand name on binoculars from at least 1952-1976. Based on various indicators (both independent focus; both with no JB or JE mfgr code markings; both not marked “occupied Japan”; both prominently marked “made in Japan” I date both of these after Apr 28 1952 and before Nov 1959 when JB codes were imposed. Manufacturers unknown.

Big and Small: Nikon

Japanese camera, binoculars, and optical manufacturer Nippon Kogaku KK had used the “Nikon” brand since 1945, and renamed itself Nikon in 1988. In addition to being among the oldest of Japanese optics manufacturers, they are one of only a few binoculars producers who manufactured, exported, and also managed importation and distribution of it’s products throughout the world with a network of authorized affiliates and owned subsidiaries.

Big and Small: Prestige

The “Prestige” trade mark was owned by Astra Trading Co of New York USA, who used the Prestige brand name since 1954 on binoculars they distributed.

My smaller Mercury binoculars are 12x power (12x20), and are of unknown manufacturer (probably Tochihara). My larger Mercury model 1111 binoculars are 7x power (7x35) and are marked with a JB250 manufacturer code, so the assembling manufacturer of these binoculars was Fujimori Optical Co, Ltd. Tokyo.

My smaller Nikon binoculars are 7x power (7x15). My larger Nikon binoculars are 7x power (7x50). Both binoculars are marked with the JB7 manufacturer code for Nippon Kogaku KK.

Big and Small: Manon

The “Manon ” and “Shrine” brand trade marks were owned from 1952 by Japanese exporter Miura Shoji K.K., doing business as Miura Trading Co. Ltd. My smaller Manon binoculars are 7x power (7x18). My larger Manon binoculars are 7x power (7x35). The assembling mfgr of the smaller binoculars is unmarked, but the frame was made by JE7/ Nippon Kogaku K.K. The larger binoculars were assembled by JB119/ Nisshin Kogaku K.K. and the frame/body was made by JE10/ Toko Seiki K.K, and the EP export only marking probably dates it in the 1950’s

Big and Small: Bushnell

U.S. importer and distributor David Bushnell imported Japanese contracted Bushnell brand binoculars into the U.S. starting in 1948. My smaller Bushnell binoculars are 7x magnification (7x15), and were made for Bushnell by AOCo / Asahi Optical Co in the early 1950’s. My larger Bushnell binoculars are 7x magnification (7x35), and were manufactured in 1963 by JB138/ Toyo Jitsugo K.K. with the frame/body made by JE4 / Toei Kogaku K.K. They are also marked BOL (inspection by Bushnell Optical Lab)

The smaller Prestige binoculars were assembled by TOA Kogaku K.K., and are marked with the TOA name.

The mark on the larger Prestige binoculars is for the manufacturer Zuiho Kogaku Seiki KK and for it’s associated export trading co. Zuiho Optical Co Ltd.

Big and Small: Tower

Sears sold various like binoculars, photo equipment, electric fans etc. under the “Tower” brand since at least 1949: mostly not trade marked specifically (though Tower was a trade mark of Sears photo finishing). The Tower brand was named after Sears Tower in Chicago, the world’s tallest building for 24 years.

The larger Tower 7x50 binoculars were assembled by mfgr JB97 Soneda Kogaku Kenkujo Inc. with frame/body by JE38 Nakabishi Kogaku Inc. My smaller Tower 6x15 binoculars were made by Asahi Kogaku K.K.

Big and Small: Nikko

Big and Small: Pentax

Nikko was a brand name used by Nippon Kogaku K.K. from around 1921-1945, including their wartime optical optics. The company subsequently reverted to using the Nippon Kogaku company, and the the Nikon brand name, and then eventually adopted Nikon as the company name.

Big and Small: Swift

My larger Asahi Pentax binoculars were assembled by JB127 Koei Seiki Co Ltd., and the frame/body were made by JE30 Kofu Kogaku Kogyo Ltd.

Asahi Kogaku Goshi Kaisha was fomed in 1919 as spectacle makers, and by the time it changed its name to Asahi Optical Co. Ltd in 1938 it was producing camera lenses. After being reformed in 1948, it returned to manufacturing and distributing binoculars and cameras, including supplying Konica and Minolta.

My smaller AOCo/ Asahi Optical Co. Pentax binoculars were made by JB5 Asahi Optical co.

U.S. importer Swift instruments and it’s predecessor Swift and Anderson began importing European binoculars around 1924, and after WWII ended imported Japanese binoculars and scopes under it’s “Swift” brand and trade marked Swift in cross hairs logo. My smaller Swift brand model 730 7x18 binoculars were made by JB001 TOA Kogaku K.K. My larger Swift brand model 761 8x42 binoculars were made by JB56 Hiyoshi Kogaku Co Ltd.