A fascinating original piece of early 20th-century British dental drill, this is a right-angle dental engine handpiece made by C. Ash & Sons (Claudius Ash & Sons), England, Britain's best-known historic manufacturers of dental equipment.

Dating to approximately 1920–1930, the instrument has a handsome black fluted vulcanite grip with nickel-plated metal fittings and an ingenious miniature geared head set at right angles to the handle.

This type of handpiece was designed for connection to a dental engine by means of the coupling at the end of the handle. The geared head allowed a small dental burr to be driven at approximately 90 degrees to the main shaft, giving the dentist access to areas which could not conveniently be approached with a straight handpiece.

An extremely close example is preserved in the Science Museum Collection, where it is described as a “right angle handpiece for no. 2 slipjoint, with miniature head, by C. Ash and Sons, England, 1920–1930.”

The instrument retains an attractive untouched appearance with age-related wear, tarnishing, marks and some deterioration/loss to the original plated finish. There are also old owner's initials on the metal body. Please examine the photographs carefully for condition.

A particularly evocative survivor from the history of British dentistry and an interesting display piece for a collection of antique dental, medical or scientific instruments.

Date: c.1920–1930 Maker: C. Ash & Sons / Claudius Ash & Sons Country: England Material: nickel-plated metal and vulcanite Type: right-angle dental engine handpiece

Collector's item only: This is an antique historical object sold solely for collection, study or display. It has no functional purpose.