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The Online Compass Museum displays some 50 pocket compasses from many countries (America, Europe, China)
and several historical periods.
Unfortunately, some manufacturers could not be identified. If you recognize any by means of its design (like the anchor at the North mark of the first one on this page), please share your knowledge with us.
Thank you.

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A ADAMS ANCHOR	B BARKER BILAND BURNAT BUSCH	C Chicago Apparatus Co. COLLIGNON-HOULLIOT	D DEMARIA-LAPIERRE DENNISON DIXEY	E ESCHENBACH ESL
F FRANCE (unidentified) FUESS	G Glass, transparent rear face compasses Gnomon Compasses	H ...	I	J
K KEUFFEL & ESSER KREIS KRÖPLIN	L LONGINES LONG NECK LUFFT	M MC-1 (s. Marine Compass) MARINE COMPASS Co. MOKO MORIN MULLER & VAUCHER (M & V)	N NARDIN NEGRETTI & ZAMBRA NEWTON	O
P PASTO	Q	R RUSSIA / USSR (no name)	S Schwab & Wuischpard (S & W) SELSI SHORT & MASON SIMMS S-L (Société des Lunetiers) SPEAR	T TAYLOR TERRASSE
U Unicus (The ~) U.S. GAUGE	V VONIN VTD	W WALTHAM WARTBURG WILKIE WITTNAUER	X NO NAME	Y - Z ZEISS IKON

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- A -

ADAMS, Dudley

PROFILE: Dudley Adams was a son of George Adams Senior (1704-72), the patriarch of the Adams family of globe makers, who wrote numerous treatises on globes and scientific instruments including A Treatise Describing and Explaining the Construction and Use of New Celestial and Terrestrial Globes, published in London in 1766 and is thought to have succeeded to John Senex and James Ferguson, the pioneers of 18th Century British globe making.
George's sons, George Adams, Jr. (1750-95) and Dudley (1762-1830), carried forth the family business as instrument and globe makers in London. Dudley Adams continued the business until 1817, when bankruptcy forced him to sell the pocket globe plates to the Lane firm.
(Source: George Glazer Gallery)

Pictures by diggerlee

(Click for enlarged views)

Technical Data - Dimensions . diam. case: 39 mm . diam. compass: 49 mm . length: 70 mm . depth: 15 mm - Weight: 60 grs - Dial material: enamel - Case material: brass, gilt - Markings on dial: DUDLEY ADAMS LONDON

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ANCHOR DESIGN (Unknown manufacturer: D. C.)

PROFILE - This hunter type compass' manufacturer was probably a specialist for nautical compasses. The card division (four 90 degrees quadrants) was used until the early 20th c.
This design appears also on several ship's compasses, among others one with the maker's initials D. C. (can stand for Dent & Co. or DORBIGO Co.).
Whoever knows more is welcome to share his(her) knowledge with the museum.

(Click on the pictures for enlarged views)

Technical Data - Diameter: 45 mm - Depth: 17 mm - Weight: 67 g (Photo courtesy Boreal-Arrow)

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- B -

BARKER, F.  B. & SON

PROFILE - British Company
(for more information click HERE)

NOTE: See also the excellent book about this compass maker's history and product range on the website www.TRADEMARKLONDON.com.

(Click on pictures for enlarged views)

Front page of a Barker's catalogue for the year 1926	(Picture by Jaypee - priv. coll.)	Logo: the words TRADE MARK LONDON forming a triangle around his monogramme (FBS, inside the lyre) are the hallmark of Francis BARKER. The black-and-white design is called  SINGER's pattern. Technical Data - Diametre: 45 mm - Depth: 15 mm - Weight: 73 g
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 g	Catalogue no. 3012
		This item is similar to the one described p. 90 in the book TRADE MARK LONDON (see LINKS). Technical Data - Diameter: 43 mm - Depth: 16 mm

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F. BARKER & Son registered many various and entirely different dial designs. Here are a few examples:
(Pictures by courtesy of TRADEMARKLONDON - click on pictures for detailed views).

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.	A combination of "The Glow Needle" on a radiant dial (the original one features a black background).	The same reg. no. (355639) applied to the different versions, either with needle (pict. at left) or with floating card (above). The letter N appears on top of the radium square.
The maker's name is punched inside the fleur-de-lis	"The Hunter Radiant", a variation of the Singer's pattern (Reg. no. 416645)	Three examples of the RGS pattern (Royal Geographical Society)	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" (1855) 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 Unicus" (1890-1930) An early fluid dampened pocket instrument

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BILAND

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 basic design of this compass is described in a 1915 patent (copy can be ordered).
No other information momentarily available - see also NARDIN.

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 in production:

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BURNAT, Henri

PROFILE - Former French manufacturer of instruments for hikers (altimeters, podometers, etc.). His shop was located 89, rue d'Hauteville - 75010 Paris.
He filed several patents. One about a new system to attach capsules in compass casings.
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).
This ad was printed in a 1977 or 1978 issue of the French hikers association Club Alpin Français (C.A.F.).

(No other data momentarily available - your help is needed - a real compass of a photo therefof is still missing).

Ad for BURNAT hikers' instruments in the C.A.F. magazine.

The maker's logo, a map reader together with his initials: H(enri), B(urnat) and PARIS.

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BUSCH

PROFILE - Former german company,
(for more information click HERE)

	(Click on pictures for enlarged view)	BUSCH catalogue no. 3362 KARTENKOMPASS (Map compass), c. 1920-1930 Technical Data - Material: nickel coated - Transparent crystal bottom - Bar-shaped needle - Needle locking: remontoir-shaped excenter button - Diameter: 40 mm - Depth: 13 mm - Weight: 30 g
BUSCH catalogue no. 3346 Messing-Kompass (Brass compass) c. 1920-1930	(Click on pictures for enlarged view)	The leather pouch is made of two halves sliding into one another. The loop is a full ring moving freely in the stud. Technical Data - Diameter: 45 mm - Depth: 11 mm - Weight: 27 g - Graduation: degrees on an elevated rose - The compass card is engraved on a silver-coated ground plate
	(Click on pictures for enlarged view)	BUSCH catalogue no. 3348 "RADIA" (military compass) c. 1920-1930. This compass is identical with the LUFFT compass no. 1745 (see below). Since the BUSCH catalogue also offers BÉZARD compasses manufactured by LUFFT, we have good reasons to believe that this compass type was made by BUSCH and sold to LUFFT. Technical Data Compass rose, needle and marching course arrow are coated with a radium zinc sulfide mix and thus self-luminescent - Diameter: 45 mm - Depth: 10 mm - Weight: 44 g
	THE MUSEUM IS STILL LOOKING FOR SUCH A COMPASS OR AT LEAST FOR GOOD PICTURES (Click on picture for enlarged view)	BUSCH catalogue no. 3350 Militär-Kompass (military compass) c. 1920-1930. Technical Data - Diameter: 50 mm - Depth: ... mm - Weight: ... g

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- C -

CHICAGO APPARATUS Co.

PROFILE - Former U.S. manufacturer (701 West Washington Boulevard, Chicago).
Scientific Instruments, Laboratory Supplies, Chemicals

(Picture 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.

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COLLIGNON-HOULLIOT

PROFILE - Former French company located in the Marais district in Paris (more information HERE).
This company was the official supplier of the French explorer of the polar regions Paul Emile VICTOR. A French archeologist also used in Egypt when the Asswan dam was built, a compass made by this company to search the ground for concealed caves / graves via magnetic anomalies.
At right: Export version of a pocket compass built before 1914 for a German retailer (Picture by courtesy of Michel Collignon - click on the picture for an enlarged view)

(Pictures sent by a visitor - priv. coll.)

(Click on the pictures for detailed views)

Technical Data - Dim. and weight: see MORIN, boussole directrice This compass in a sealed plastic pocket was part of the French aircraft crews' First Aid Kits in the 1950's.

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CONTINUED

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