A sterling silver Francis Barker & Son ‘Pebble Lens' pocket compass, hallmarked for London, 1912, and with the Francis Barker maker's mark 'F.B. & Sn'. This compass is in very fine 'museum' condition. The 'Pebble Lens' compass design featured in Barker catalogues from the 1880s until the 1920s. In the catalogue for 1885 it was described as a ‘Cyclists Compass, for use with maps etc’. It was said to be ‘Invaluable to Cyclists, Captains, Military men, and others. Being transparent, the roads on the map are easily seen and the distance calculated. The pebble lens, being best optically worked, makes it a fair sized magnifier of good power, for reading and examining any small object’. By the time the 1907 catalogue was produced, this compass was being described as useful to ‘Aeronauts, Explorers, Motorists, and Yachtsmen’. The Pebble lens compass was available in three sizes, the largest being 1.5 inches (38mm). The compass has a sterling silver case and a finely balanced English Bar Needle, pivoting between the two magnifying lenses. The cardinal points are hand painted in red and black, set against a pale orange background. It comes complete with its original fitted morocco leather case, which is lined with blue velvet inside the lid.
Further details of the Barker Silver Pebble Lens compass design can be found in: Trade Mark London by Paul Crespel, available as a PDF at the trademarklondon.com website.
Condition
The compass is in excellent condition, full working order and finds North well. The magnifying lenses are in excellent condition. The silver case and English bar needle are in excellent condition. The hallmarks and maker's marks are very well preserved and clearly legible. The fitted leather case is in very good condition. It would be very difficult to find a better example of this iconic Barker compass design.
Dimensions: 38mm diameter (1.5 inches), 58mm inc. loop
Francis Barker & Son: were established in London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientific instruments. The company soon became recognised as one of the most important scientific instrument makers of the time. Francis Barker produced a very wide range of compass designs over the years, supplying major retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, Dollond, and many others. The company prospered until 1932, when it was taken over and became F. Barker & Son (1932). After WW2 the company changed hands several times and the name is now owned by Pyser Optics of Edenbridge in Kent. They continue to produce the renowned Barker M-73, widely acknowledged to be the world's finest prismatic compass.
