How...
wierd.... a penny to meet the person selling that stuff or to briefly dig through everything in their lot.
There's that item, this
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10043957 "Vintage US Navy Navigation tools", a "WW2 Military Slide Rule" (
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10043944 ), a mobile "Vintage US Geological Service Field Drafting Table" (
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10043960 ), WWII Steroscope Viewers (
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10043967 ), and a ton of other prehistoric drafting stuff lotted together that probabley has more value/signifigance than they realise. The 100+ year old surveying rods for example, not worth much... but there weren't a lot of professional surveying crews/companys around a hundred years ago, give it a 50/50 chance it can be traced back to being used for something even vaguely historicly signifigant.
God this sites pictures/picture-detail is WRETCHED! Great find though.