Antique Francis Barker & Son Circa 1865 London Pocket COMPASS
Item History & Price
ANTIQUE AND VERY RARE WOODEN POCKET NAUTICALCOMPASS BY FRANCIS BARKER & SON of 12 Clerkenwell Road, London, circa 1865. FrancisBarker & Son manufactured several wooden cased instruments, and its signaturemarks were the very elegant "hidden hinge", where the hinge tabs arehidden in slots made into the wood, and the check-mark shaped clasp. No other manufacturer used the hidden hingetechnique, and the style was dropped soon after the death of Francis Barker Srin 1875.&...nbsp;Thismahogany boxed compass is in very good condition and full working order with littlefoxing to the hand-drawn compass card that has an attractive particularly earlydesign, dating to the first quarter of the 19th century. The compass rose is divided into four 90 degreequadrants showing all the points of the compass with a Fleur de lis for North. The wooden case is in very goodcondition, with a lovely patina and strong hinges. The mahogany is free of anysplits or cracks, but has some marks and scratches as to be expected. Thetransit lock works correctly and locks the needle automatically when the lid is closed, and releases it when the lid isopened. The shapely needle pivots on abrass capped bearing under a glass crystal. The needle is blue and marked N & S.
Theoriginal glass is in perfect condition with no chips or cracks. The glass coulduse a cleaning. The box measures 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 3/4"
Thisis an extremely rare compass.Ihave not tried to clean the box or glass as some collectors enjoy original patina.Francis Barker & Son: wasestablished in London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientificinstruments. Francis Barker produced a very wide range of compass designs overthe years, supplying major retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, Dollond, and many others. The company prospered until 1932, whenit was taken over and became F. Barker & Son (1932). After WW2 the companychanged hands several times and the name is now carried by Pyser-Optics. Theycontinue to produce the renowned Barker M-73, widely acknowledged to be theworld's finest prismatic compass. Thiscomes from my Smoke Free and Pet Free home. Please e-mail any questions AndThanks for looking.FEEDBACK: All sellers and buyers on EBay like and need POSITIVE Feedback.If you have a problem with this item, PLEASE email me so that I may have anopportunity to resolve it. Buyer satisfaction is mynumber one concern.Shipping &Handling: I do not charge for handlingTIME OR SUPPLIES. Please note that I may “recycle” a CLEAN NON-PERISABLE FOODbox for your shipment.
Theoriginal glass is in perfect condition with no chips or cracks. The glass coulduse a cleaning. The box measures 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 3/4"
Thisis an extremely rare compass.Ihave not tried to clean the box or glass as some collectors enjoy original patina.Francis Barker & Son: wasestablished in London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientificinstruments. Francis Barker produced a very wide range of compass designs overthe years, supplying major retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, Dollond, and many others. The company prospered until 1932, whenit was taken over and became F. Barker & Son (1932). After WW2 the companychanged hands several times and the name is now carried by Pyser-Optics. Theycontinue to produce the renowned Barker M-73, widely acknowledged to be theworld's finest prismatic compass. Thiscomes from my Smoke Free and Pet Free home. Please e-mail any questions AndThanks for looking.FEEDBACK: All sellers and buyers on EBay like and need POSITIVE Feedback.If you have a problem with this item, PLEASE email me so that I may have anopportunity to resolve it. Buyer satisfaction is mynumber one concern.Shipping &Handling: I do not charge for handlingTIME OR SUPPLIES. Please note that I may “recycle” a CLEAN NON-PERISABLE FOODbox for your shipment.
