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Description
This listing is for an early 1868 E.S. RICHIE Boston ships compass. The compass is the famous liquid filled marine compass Edward Samuel Richie invented. The compass is all brass and bronze and measures 7 inches in diameter not including the gimbals.
The compass has an early serial number 2793 stamped into the top along with various patent dates, the last being May 12 1868. It is also stamped "R.S.RITCHIE BOSTON". The compass is in excellent condition. There is some spots on the inside of the glass from the liquid sitting on the glass and drying. These are minor. The compass works as it should.
A quick note: E.S. Richie invented this floating compass which replaced the English dry compass which had been used pretty universally for many years. This was such an improvement over that compass that is was rapidly adopted for use by the US Navy and by many merchant vessels at that time. A model of Ritchie's first liquid-filled compass is on display at the Museum of Science in London, England, the only foreign product so honored. The kind people at the Richie Navigation (still in business) were able to track down this information for me concerning this exact compass.
This compass was manufactured in 1869 and on October 27th 1869 it was sold to a C.R. Sherman. So here is an interesting thing. At that time C.R.Sherman owned a rival company that made dry compasses in New Bedford. This wet compass that Richie made suplanted the dry compass that Sherman made. So did Sherman buy this compass to try and copy and perhaps produce the wet compass. Years later the CR Sherman company bought and still ownes the E.S. Richie company. Fasinating bit of Marine history.
Shipping anywhere in the US $24.50. International bidder’s shipping is through Ebay's global ship program.
The compass has an early serial number 2793 stamped into the top along with various patent dates, the last being May 12 1868. It is also stamped "R.S.RITCHIE BOSTON". The compass is in excellent condition. There is some spots on the inside of the glass from the liquid sitting on the glass and drying. These are minor. The compass works as it should.
A quick note: E.S. Richie invented this floating compass which replaced the English dry compass which had been used pretty universally for many years. This was such an improvement over that compass that is was rapidly adopted for use by the US Navy and by many merchant vessels at that time. A model of Ritchie's first liquid-filled compass is on display at the Museum of Science in London, England, the only foreign product so honored. The kind people at the Richie Navigation (still in business) were able to track down this information for me concerning this exact compass.
This compass was manufactured in 1869 and on October 27th 1869 it was sold to a C.R. Sherman. So here is an interesting thing. At that time C.R.Sherman owned a rival company that made dry compasses in New Bedford. This wet compass that Richie made suplanted the dry compass that Sherman made. So did Sherman buy this compass to try and copy and perhaps produce the wet compass. Years later the CR Sherman company bought and still ownes the E.S. Richie company. Fasinating bit of Marine history.
Shipping anywhere in the US $24.50. International bidder’s shipping is through Ebay's global ship program.
