Code BA22110701: Victorian Silver Clinometer Compass by Cary London, c. 1900
| This a rare English compass made by Cary of London in the early 1900s. It comes in a solid silver case still in excellent condition without dings, dents or scratches. It has a Lion Passant Hallmark on the bow. The case was acid-tested as solid silver. The compass has a nice silvered brass dial with a part graduated in degrees and numbered every 10 degrees for the use of the clinometer. A raised chapter is numbered every 10 degrees and graduated in degrees can be used with the compass. The dial is signed with maker's name Cary London. The compass has a flat needle with a jewelled brass cap. The transit lock is operated by pushing the button attached to the pendant. The hand of clinometer moves smoothly and may be locked by using a small sprung knob located to the side of the case: (1) the knob is pulled and maintained in this position, (2) the compass is then tilted so the hand of the clinometer moves toward the knob (North cardinal point on the dial), (3) the knob is released and the hand of the clinometer will be locked. The knob must be pulled again and the compass tilted to release the hand. East and West are reversed on this compass for obvious reasons explained here. The compass is equipped with a silver stand that can be unfolded to use the clinometer function. The compass is in excellent working condition and finds North without any problem. This is a large compass in comparison to a regular open-face compass as can be seen in one of the photos. It measures about 64 mm in diameter excluding the pendant and the bow. This is a very nice example by a quality maker. |
SOLD
