WW1 era German ZF12 scope for MG 08 heavy machine gun, original carry case; RARE

Description Germany WW1 Maxim MG scope with clear optics, original leather carrying case in excellent shape. Seldom seen early WW-I era machine gun scope in great overall condition, considering the age. VERY rare this nice and complete. Original WW1 era Imperial German model ZF12 optical scope for the standard German Army Maschinengewehr 08 (MG08) machine gun in its original early production all-leather carry case; manufactured by Emil Busch A-G Optische Industrie in Rathenow. The ZF12 was one of the first standard-issue machine gun optics; it was widely used by the German army and other Central Powers militaries in every theater of the Great War. At about 2-3X magnification, the scope wasn’t very powerful by today’s standards but is still give the Germans a great advantage over the Allied Powers, especially in MGs defensive roles. Attached see a few WW1 era photos of German MG squads operating their MG08s in the defensive configuration equipped with the exact scope type (the scans are posted for the reference only; original photos are not included with the lot). The scope is in great overall condition; it was repainted in OD-green paint but the original manufacture markings are still visible. Serial number seems to be 4046 or 4016; nice early-war specimen: the Germans had around 4,400 battle-ready machine guns at the start of WW1. The optics are clear; the simple inverted V “cross hair” is nice and sharp; brass adjustment wheel is graduated 400 to 2,000 meters. Original brass protective cap for the upper lens is present, the small leather retaining strap is MIA ( and easy fix).  Original early-war belt-carry leather case is excellent, considering the age. The leather is supple still; the straps are intact. Most of the war-era production scope case were made of the cheap “ersatz” leather which just didn’t last; finding an early ZF12 scope in the original all-leather carry case is VERY hard nowadays. This early WW1 era ZF12 specimen and its original case are in great overall shape, considering the age scope. After 100 plus years this Germany Germany WW1 MG08 MG scope is in 100% serviceable condition still. Most of the surviving Germany WW1 MG08 MG scopes are in private collections and rarely come up for sale. Don’t miss your chance to add this rare original Germany WW1 MG08 MG scope scope to your collection! I have a small but very interesting collection of various WW1 and WW2 era edged weapons to sell. Don’t forget to check out the store’s Militaria section for other WW1 and WW2 era combat knives available for sale. Argocoins accepts all major credit cards and payments via PayPal as forms of payment. Please email  me at [email protected] if you would like to make a credit card purchase over the phone. Old-fashioned checks and money orders will work just as well; please take a look at the Payments section within our Terms and Conditions for mailing instructions and additional details. Follow me on Facebook @argoman400BC to keep an eye on the latest additions and promotions. EXPEDITED USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S.WILL BE $16.75 FOR THIS ITEM International shipping for this item will be $99 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.