COMPASSIPEDIA
The Online
Compass Museum
The Online
Compass Museum
The
Online Compass
Museum owns over 100 pocket compasses coming from many countries
(America,
Europe, China)
 (Click for an enlarged view) |
The names
AIRGUIDE and Fee & Stemwedel are printed on the box (Click for a composed picture of several enlarged views) |
Technical
Data Needle type model no. 83 - Diam.: 2" (50 mm) - Thickness: 12 mm - Weight: 57 gr - Case material: aluminum The small coat of arms printed on the box contains the words: AMERICAN M...(ADE PRODUCT?) |
 Pictures courtesy Peter Ruge (Click for an enlarged view) |
Technical
Data - Diameter: 70 mm The large cut-out in the compass card reduces the inertia of the mass that the magnets have to move. The two blade-shaped magnets (each with a N at their Northern extremity) are very unusal. They are usually to be found only in large ships or aircraft compasses where they ensure a higher position stability. |
 Front page of the Barker catalogue for the year 1926 |
 (Picture by Jaypee - priv. coll.) |
 Technical Data - Diameter: 45 mm - Depth: 15 mm - Weight: 73 gr |
 Catalogue no. 3000 |
 (Click on the picture for an enlarged view) This
item has a floating card (like catalogue no. 3012, right) and a
system to render the markings
luminous at night (...) by
burning 1/2 in. Magnesium Ribbon close to the dial
in the lid
but the same design as the catalogue no. 3000 (left) which has a
rotating needle.
Technical Data - Diameter: 35 mm - Depth: 15 mm - Weight: 65 gr |
 Dial design called RGS pattern (see further down) |
 |
 |
 This item is similar to the one described p. 90 in the book TRADEMARKLONDON. Technical Data - Diameter: 43 mm - Depth: 16 mm |
1905-1920 (Pic. courtesy TML) Description: Singer's patent dial. (see also the catalogue). |
1920-1950 (Pic. courtesy A.Marogna) Description: Mark VI dial (see also the catalogue). |
UK
Boy
and Girl Scouts Compasses The reverse side of the folding model featured a paper tablet on which notes could be written in pencil and easily erased. |
 William
Barker
(1858)
The maker's name is punched beneath the fleur-de-lys |
 "The
Cyclist's"
(1885 catalogue) featuring a magnifying glass for easier reading of maps or lighting a fire... |
 "The
Glow Needle"
A variation of the design at right (combination with a radiant's dial). The same needle was also used in the models The Guide and The Prospector. (See Patent 12,777, 1906) |
 The
same reg. no.
(355639, Apr. 4, 1900) applied to the different versions, either with
needle (pict.
at left) or with floating card (above). The letter N in red paint
appears on top of
the radium square.
|
 |
 "The
Hunter Radiant",
(dial pattern: Reg. no. 416645, see at right) |
 Three
examples of
the dial pattern called "RGS
pattern" (Royal
Geographical Society)
(explanation: see STEWARD) |
 Early version of the "Scouting" model with the cardinal points in red paint on the crystal |
 Two different markings of the maker's name: here on two lines near North and South (compare with picture at right) |
 Here,
the maker's
triangular TML logo is used like an
arrowhead.
|
"The Skeleton" The
lid
is marked “F. Barker &
Son” and
the back is stamped with the triangular trademark with the
“S” the correct way round, indicating pre-1875.
The background in the capsule is made of luminous paper (see Balmain in Miscell. / Terminology) |
PROFILE
-
Otto BILAND was a Swiss manufacturer located in Saint-Imier (Sankt
Immer
in German). He founded his company in 1906. He received a
Gold
Medal at the Swiss National Exhibition in Berne in 1914. The company
was listed in 1920, plus an ad for precision instruments, tachometers,
timers, speedometers, watchmen's watches and counters for cars and
aeroplanes. The
letters N and S
on the needle were both entirely covered with radium paint.
The crystal has a metallic frame on which the marching angle arrow is attached.  The
manufacturer's
monogramme: a-B-c (?)
|
 Punched
on the lid:
the British Army's arrow and an upper case 'I' for India.
The holding loop is attached by means of a long transverse screw. (Click on pictures to enlarge them) |
Technical
Data - Diameter: 50 mm - Height: 8 mm - Weight: 43 g - Date: 1915 - Figures punched in the lid: 42 and 55. - Patent nos.: 76117 for France and 83025 for Switzerland (these numbers have probably been re-used because they now refer to vapour machine systems). Biland also filed a patent (no. 71472) for a map reader but we don't know whether it was ever produced: 
|
  (Click on the pictures for enlarged views) |
 Markings
on the lid
and base:
MILITARY
EQUIPT CO.
7 WATERLOO PLACE LONDON CAPT BRYAN'S NIGHT-MARCHING COMPASS RD. NO. 323931 |
Technical
Data - Case material: brass - Diameter: 2 " / 50 mm - Divisions: 360 deg. graduated every 10°, numbered every 20° - Luminous paper with black stripes - The RD (Reg. Design) no. 323 931 was issued in 1899. Picture below: view of a 1897 advertisement of Mil. Eqpt.Co. (Click on the image for a view of the whole document) 
|
PROFILE - Former French manufacturer of instruments for
hikers (altimeters, podometers, etc.). The company's full name
was Baudet-Burnat (more information HERE).
Burnat filed several
patents. One about a new system to attach capsules in
compass casings. His
logo featured a map reader together with his initials H(enri),
B(urnat) and PARIS. He produced at least two different compass types:
the pocket compass
called 40 XT of which we only have a picture in the advertisement below
and a marching compass (see this category). Ad for
BURNAT
hikers' instruments in the C.A.F. magazine. (Click on the picture for an enlarged view of the compass) |
 Only the needle's shape differs from the one on the ad. |
This
transparent compass
with the only marking "BAUDET Made in France" on the case side was
produced at some unknown moment (1960's?). It was apparently a predecessor of the swivel-case model shown in the ad at left. Technical Data - Case material: brass - Diameter: 50 mm - Needle transit lock: Excenter in the loop fitting - Marching course mark: Plastic disk with a luminous paint dot and a lubber line.  |
 |
 (Pictures courtesy P.C. / TML) |
Technical
Data Diameter excl. neck & bow: 39mm Thickness:13.5 mm Length incl. neck & bow & transit lock lever protrusion: 54mm Casing: gold plated Dial: enamel, hand-painted |
|
With
the model called
"The Milvay" identical but w/o loop (dia. 2")
 Below: 3 views of its box  |
 (Picture below courtesy Jeffrey R. Adams)  (Click on the pictures
for
detailed views)
|
These
three compasses were offered in a 1949 catalog of hunters' gear. The
compasses' names The
Chief and The
Commander are obvious. The
one called MILVAY
needs to be explained: MILVAY was the name of a C.A. Co. subsidiary
selling biological materials.
Its logo was a frog. C.A. Co. published also a
specific MILVAY catalog.  |
 Dia.:
53mm (compare
with MORIN,
"boussole directrice"). Aluminum casing, built shortly after WWII,
double division (degrees and MILS), radium compound markings.
|
 Dia.:
45mm (compare
with MORIN,
"boussole directrice")
|
 This
compass in a water-tight plastic pocket was part of the French aircraft
crews' first aid kits in the 1950's.
(Click on the images for
detailed views)
|
 Compass no. 946 in the catalogue for 1960 unchanged snce the 1930s (see LUFFT, mod. 1950) Souvenir compass made for the boys and girls scouts 1947 Jamboree (see also Scoutism)  Picture courtesy M. Collignon |
 Military version |
 Plain civilian version with only cardinals (Click on images for enlarged views) |
Technical
Data - Diam. : 40 mm |
Technical
Data
