A very rare Barker Combined Hunter Prismatic and Pocket Compass retailed by Negretti & Zambra c1880

Antique pocket compass having 1¾” green floating hand-drawn Singer pattern card, the outer reversed scale showing a range of 0-360° divided to every 1° and numbered at every 10°, the centre displaying cardinals and intercardinals, and further marked for the false points, by points, and half points (the 64-wind compass rose), north indicated by Singer trademark star and lyre. The card on an agate suspension. Flat glass.

Oxidised brass hunter case with glazed viewing port in lid marked with lubber line. Convex-faced 45 degree Schmalcalder-type reflecting prism with height (focus) adjustment. Offset suspension post and loop with push-pull transit lock, momentary brake button below hinge.

Condition: The dial clean and crisp, swinging freely and finding north easily, the transit lock and momentary brake working well. The compass and viewing port glasses clear. The lacquered oxidised brass case retaining much of its original finish, showing wear commensurate with age and use. The lid with lightly engraved initials “RS.”

Comments: This antique compass is the work of Francis Barker who generally produced white label goods for the trade. An example of this compass is shown on the compassmuseum.com website, retailed by Lennie – that one has the Barker Trademark logo inside the lid lift and dates to pre-1875. Barker did go on to patent this design – “Barker’s Patent Combined Hunter Prismatic and Pocket Compass” (see image) – so this unmarked example predates that patent.

Although Barker produced many prismatic compasses of different designs, only a handful of these side-mounted suspension post and loop instruments are known.

This very unusual and rare Francis Barker compass is certainly a collector’s piece.