Circa 1940's Swift and Anderson Hand Sighting Level w/case.

This hand sighting level, also called a locator's level or engineer's sighting level, was made by Swift and Anderson of Boston, Mass. It is a bit over five inches long and one-inch square. It probably was made in the 1940's or 1950's. The eyepiece appears to be just a pinhole, not a lens. To use a Hand Sight Level, you look through the eyepiece where you see a split image of the reflection of the spirit level atop the device, and a view of your landscape. The landscape is viewed through a reticle window--where the glass has been etched with a center line and other lines. You simply tilt the device up or down to center the bubble with the center line. By knowing the height of a staff along the reticle, you can also approximate distance from ratios. The screw on the side might be for adjusting the position of the mirror.

An optical sight level is essentially a spirit level combined with a telescope. A handheld sight level is a simple level used for quick rough leveling. A device like this would be generally used by grading contractors, bricklayers, land surveyors or field engineers to compare multiple points against a reference point to approximate level or distance. If more precise measurements are needed, a leveler on a tripod is used, although increasingly today, laser levels have widely replaced optical levelers.

This level was well used and has wear, and has a little dust inside, but is perfectly functional. There are also initials scratched on the side of the level. The leather case has wear, but the leather is in decent condition, and not dried out or cracked, and all the stitching is intact. This level also was sold to the U.S. Army, and it is sometimes found with boxes that say Army and is sometimes listed as a military item.