Original 1950’s Cast Brass Hand Bearing

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ORIGINAL 1950’s CAST BRASS
HAND BEARING
COMPASS by

Gordon
Roberts, Mt. Vernon, New York

 

Compascope left side image
Compascope right side image

GORDON ROBERTS,
“COMPASCOPE” HAND BEARING COMPASS – with original
documentation

 


 

Presented is a hand
bearing compass which was made popular in the
1950’s by Gordon Roberts of Mt.Vernon, NY for small craft
boaters.

 

The bowl is made from
cast brass with a 2 inch compass card over which is mounted a low
powered telescope that reads the bearing by way of a mirror.
The 
user can see both the object
being
sighted and the compass card bearing at the same
time. An accessory penlight attachés over the
card for night use. Complete instructions and the original
bill of sale dated June 26, 1953 are included.
At one pound plus, it has the heft and feel of strength and
durability.

All
this is housed in its original Mahogany case.

 

The
entire rig would look great on a
desk and will appeal to a collector or in a
room decorated in a nautical fashion.

 

 

 Compascope in box image

 

 

USING A HAND BEARING
COMPASS:
 The
seller has used a similar compass while at sea for an extended period.
In this day of electronic navigation, they are still handy for the
following purposes which are as valid now as they were 45
years ago. For those people who grew up with GPS, that
system can not provide the information a  hand bearing compass
can unless coupled to a Radar. And then you need to know Radar
plotting to solve Closest Point of Approach situations.
Here’s how to use this compass:

 


WHILE UNDERWAY:

  • Take bearings of vessels in crossing situationsto determine risk of collision.

  • Take bearings of sea buoys, land marks or other
    objects to determine distance off at time of passing
  • In congested waters, take bearings of a number
    of
    different vessels to determine if their relative position is constant
    or changing.
  • Sailors learn to take back bearings to determine
    your leeway

                           
                              AT ANCHOR:
                                             
  • Always take anchor bearings of own vessel to

    make sure you are not dragging.


  • Take
    bearings of other vessels to make sure they are not a danger to
    you.

 

 

 

 

 

Compass card image
 

The compass card is
seen in reverse above because it is intended to be viewed through the
prism which reflects the image in its proper
orientation.

DIMENSIONS:


COMPASS:      2
1/2″ bowl,  2″ card, 6″ length overall
TEAK
CASE: 
  7 1/2″H x 4 1/2″ W
x 3″ D


WEIGHT:

Compass 1 lbs 2 3/4
oz,
In case 2 lbs 9
1/2 oz =left>=left>=left>

 



 

CONDITION: The two
inch compass
card swings freely. The mirror shows some degradation with age and
affects the clarity when reading the card. There is no fluid dampening
the action. There is some paint loss as would be expected. The
penlight works.  The Mahogany wood case is in excellent
condition, but shows some minor handling
marks. 

 


This
is the perfect item for those
who have an interest in navigation, or want to have a
vintage hand bearing compass to
display
 

closed compascope box image
 Optical Mahogany
storage case
Original

  Original invoice dated June 26,
1953

 

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Shipping & Packaging

The cost of shipping, packing, handling, and insurance to your destination, will be calculated point to point and is an additional charge. You may email us to get these costs. We price our shipping honestly, but we expect to be reimbursed for the nominal cost of packaging materials and handling.

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Established in 2003

Celebrating 18 Years of Exellence in Nautical Antiques

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