The H. Kolberg i S-ka S.A. (H. Kolberg & Co. S.A.) Factory of Optical and Precision Devices was a prominent Polish optical manufacturer established in Warsaw, Poland in 1921 by a consortium of industrialists, primarily Henryk Kolberg, Karol Hercyk, George Coro, and Kazimierz Mieszczanski.  

The company became the first optical factory in independent Poland.

The company’s original name was H. Kolberg i S-ka S.A. (Spółka Akcyjna), Warszawa, Polska, / H. Kolberg & Co. S.A. (joint-stock company), founded in Warsaw, Poland in 1921.

Spółka Akcyjna (S.A.), Polish joint-stock company, is a legal entity designed for large-scale business operations and capital-intensive activities. It offers shareholders limited liability, restricting their risk to the value of their contributed capital, while the company itself bears full responsibility for its obligations with all its assets. 

Initially operating from Leszno Street in 1921, the company moved to a larger facility at 316 Grochowska Street in 1923 to meet high demand for military optics, including military service binoculars and panoramic cameras. 

Propelled by substantial orders from the Polish government, the firm achieved rapid growth in the 1920s, producing 6×30 military service binoculars and panoramic cameras for the Polish army.

Due to financial losses from speculative investments, Henryk Kolberg was forced to sell his shares in the company in 1930. The company was acquired by three French firms, Societe Etablissements Krauss, OPL, and Barbier, Bernard et Turenne, and was renamed Polskie Zakłady Optyczne (PZO), Polish Optical Works. The company retained the original management and production facilities.  

Henryk Kolberg later attempted to compete with PZO by reopening a separate firm under the old name, H. Kolberg i S-ka S.A. Henryk Kolberg’s second company continued to compete with PZO until the Second World War.

The visual differences between the military binoculars manufactured by H. Kolberg i S-ka S.A. (the original joint stock company), produced from January 1, 1924 to May 29, 1931, and the military binoculars manufactured by H. Kolberg i S-ka z o.o (the new limited liability company), produced from June 1, 1931 to September 5, 1939, can be a little confusing to collectors.

Both companies manufactured the exact same binoculars, produced in accordance with the exact same technical specifications issued by the Polish Ministry of Defense. To distinguish the difference between the military binoculars produced by these two factories, similarly named, is only by their production serial numbers.

It is best to look at the factory production serial number of each particular military binocular. If the production serial number is over 80,000, that military service binocular is a product of the second H. Kolberg company, H. Kolberg i S-ka z o.o (the limited liability company).

This company, H. Kolberg i S-ka z o.o (the limited liability company) produced two sample binoculars (80002 and 80003) that were likely submitted to the Polish Ministry of Defense on April 25, 1937, followed 11 months later by the short production run of 2,750 binoculars (80004 to 82754) produced from March 31, 1939 to September 5, 1939.

On the military binoculars of Poland, the most recognizable marking is the Polish eagle, the national insignia of Poland. The graphic design of the eagle has been changed many times over the centuries.

Poland became a sovereign country on October 7, 1918, toward the end of the First World War. The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, existed from October 7, 1918 to October 6, 1939.

The Republic of Poland ceased to exist in 1939, after Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Slovak Republic, at the beginning of the European theatre of the Second World War. The Polish government-in-exile was established in Paris, and later in London, after the fall of France in 1940.

Shown here is the national insignia of Poland from 1919 to 1927, as depicted in the anthology, Przemysl Optyczny w Polsce – praca zbiorowa (Optical Industry in Poland – collective book).

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxPolish armed forces 6×30 military binoculars, production serial number 26374, manufactured about May 1930 by Fabryka Aparatow Optyczne i Precyzyjnych, H. Kolberg i Ska, Warszawa, Polska (Factory of Optical and Precise Instruments, H. Kolberg & Co., Ltd.), Warsaw, Poland.

The left prizm cover of the binoculars is marked with the manufacturer’s trademark logo, “H.KOLBERG i SKA WARSZAWA” followed by “WP” next to the company trademark logo, meaning “Wojsko Polskie” (Polish Military). The name has been used since the early 1800s, but can also be applied to earlier periods.

In Poland, the popular term Wojsko Polskie, abbreviated WP, meaning “Polish Military,” refers to the national armed forces of the Republic of Poland. The official title is Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated SZ RP, meaning the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland.

The right prizm cover is marked with the Polish national eagle followed by a stylized box with “6×30” over the production serial number, “26374” (estimated date of manufacture May 1930).xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The most recognizable marking on the military binoculars of Poland is the Polish eagle, the national insignia of Poland. The graphic design of the eagle has been changed many times over the centuries.

Poland became a sovereign country on November 11, 1918. Between 1919 and 1927, the Polish national eagle looked like this.

This is the Polish national eagle marking on binoculars produced by H. Kolberg S-ka S.A. (the limited liability company) from 1924 and 1931. –>

The particular 6×30 military binoculars shown here is production serial number 1896, produced about March 1925.

On the military binoculars of Poland, the most recognizable marking is the Polish eagle, the national insignia of Poland. The graphic design of the eagle has been changed many times over the centuries.

Poland became a sovereign country on October 7, 1918, toward the end of the First World War. The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, existed from October 7, 1918 to October 6, 1939.

The Republic of Poland ceased to exist in 1939, after Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Slovak Republic, at the beginning of the European theatre of the Second World War. The Polish government-in-exile was established in Paris, and later in London, after the fall of France in 1940.

Shown here is the national insignia of Poland from 1919 to 1927, as depicted in the anthology, Przemysl Optyczny w Polsce – praca zbiorowa (Optical Industry in Poland – collective book).

PZO-6x30-05-1936-43884-400300

Polish armed forces 6×30 military binoculars, production serial number 43884, manufactured about May 1936 by Polski Zaklady Optyczne, Warszawa, Polska (Polish Factory, Warsaw, Poland). The left prizm cover of the binoculars is marked with the manufacturer’s trademark logo, “PZO” over “WARSZAWA” followed by “WP” next to the company trademark logo, meaning “Wojsko Polskie” (Polish Military). In Poland, the popular term Wojsko Polskie, abbreviated WP, meaning “Polish Military,” refers to the national armed forces of the Republic of Poland. The official title is Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated SZ RP, meaning the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland. The right prizm cover is marked with the Polish national eagle followed by a stylized box with “6×30” over the production serial number, “43884” (estimated date of manufacture May 1936). These 6×30 military binoculars are accompanied by the original brown leather carrying strap.

PZO-6x30-06-1936-44276-01-400300 PZO-6x30-06-1936-44276-02-400300 PZO-6x30-06-1936-44276-03-400300 PZO-6x30-06-1936-44276-04-400300 PZO-6x30-06-1936-44276-05-400300 PZO-6x30-06-1936-44276-06-400300

Polish armed forces 6×30 military binoculars, production serial number 44276, manufactured about June 1936 by Polski Zaklady Optyczne, Warszawa, Polska (Polish Factory, Warsaw, Poland). The left prizm cover of the binoculars is marked with the manufacturer’s trademark logo, “PZO” over “WARSZAWA” followed by “WP” next to the company trademark logo, meaning “Wojsko Polskie” (Polish Military). In Poland, the popular term Wojsko Polskie, abbreviated WP, meaning “Polish Military,” refers to the national armed forces of the Republic of Poland. The official title is Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated SZ RP, meaning the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland. The right prizm cover is marked with the Polish national eagle followed by a stylized box with “6×30” over the production serial number, “44276” (estimated date of manufacture June 1936).