by Optics » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:28 pm
pioneerpoint,
The style you have is probably for mounting on a short tower (10-20 feet tall). You could try looking up old aerodrome (airport) lighting. I don't know if there are any sites, but there should be.
The lens is relatively common, at least overseas. I have seen a few examples. Value is more difficult. If the lens is in very good condition with no or few chips, the lens could be worth anywhere from $3000 to $30000. The USCG does not own these lenses and it is really worth what someone would be willing to pay. Some people say lenses of this size are worth $300,000, but there would be no buyers - so that is meaningless.
BBT stands for Barbier, Benard and Turenne. They were based in Paris and went out of business in 1981. There is almost nothing written about them and nothing on the Internet. I wrote a story about BBT that will appear in the USLHS "Keeper's Log" in the summer issue this year.
Thomas A. Tag
