London – The innate drive for discovery and exploration has been at the forefront of human progress since we first began evolving as a species. This unwavering quest for truth has led us to find methods by which to comprehend both the largest and smallest things that occupy our planet – from the Antarctic to the particles that make up a single snowflake. On 15 September one of the largest collections of pocket globes ever to come to auction and an equally extensive collection of microscopes are on offer at Bonhams, Knightsbridge's Instruments of Science and Technology Sale.

The 199-lot sale has a range of estimates from £200-60,000.

The 17th and 18th centuries in Europe were a time of great discovery, in both a scientific and explorative sense. Gentleman of means set sail for ever more distant lands, either in search of trade or simply for the thrill of uncovering new territories not yet seen. Upon returning from their voyages they would meet in coffee houses to discuss both astronomy and the latest discoveries from around the world. In order to chart their findings, they were frequently armed with pocket globes – upon which they would mark their travels. 12 pocket globes such as these are offered in the sale.

Stephen Edell began collecting globes fifty years ago, fascinated both by their elegance of design and sophisticated cartography. Some of the globes within his collection are marked with the latest epic voyages by such navigators as Francis Drake and James Cook, as well as some non-existent features such as the outline of the Great South Continent, the globes being only as geographically accurate as the current knowledge allowed. The estimates for the 20-lot collection range between £1,000-£15,000

The top-lot in the collection is a very rare Joseph Moxon 2 ¾-inch pocket globe, English, circa 1675. Joseph Moxon was only the second person in Europe to make pocket globes. This particularly globe shows California as an island, tracks Sir Francis Drake and Thomas Cavendish's voyages and uses a combination of Latin and English names. It is contained within a fish-skin case. Estimate: £15,000-20,000.

The 80-lot microscope collection charts over 250 years of technological innovation in this field across the United Kingdom and Europe. It includes examples by acclaimed instrument makes of the 18th and 19th centuries like Culpeper, Benjamin Martin, Adams, and Dolland. The owner of this collection, Dr Murray Mackinnon, founded MacKinnon's of Dyce in the early 1980s, a family-owned pharmacy business which grew to become the leading independent photographic retailer in Scotland. His career deepened his fascination with ocular instruments and visual media, a passion he indulged by collecting microscopes, scientific instruments and photography for over four decades. Estimates range between £300-12,000.

Managing Director of Bonhams, Knightsbridge, Jon Baddeley, said: "It is rare that single collections of such breadth come to auction, so to be able to offer two in the same sale is very exciting. It seems particularly appropriate for these two exceptional collections to be coming to auction at a time when most of the globe has been forced to shut its borders due to something that only a microscope can see".

Other highlights from the sale:

• A fine and rare Thomas Blunt Combines Planetarium, Lunarian and Tellurium, English. Early 19th century. Estimate £60,000-80,000
• A Rare edition of the 'Signal Key for the Radio Signal Service'. For Enigma Use. German, 1939. Estimate £15,000-20,000.
• A very rare Leica M5 finished in black paint, circa 1973. Estimate: 15,000-20,000
• A Leica 1 Model A, circa 1925. Estimate: £7,000-10,000.