An Rare Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) Compass By Carl Bamberg Friedenau

Polished steel casing, face plate maker marked "CARL BAMBERG FRIEDENAU" and numbered "No 4900", directional needle in steel blue and mounted to a central brass base, the needle marked "N" (North) at one end, gradated inner ring marked with the directions in German (Norden, Süd, Osten, West, with intermediate directional points), the outer ring marked in 360 degrees, glass face, reverse marked with the Imperial crown, an "M" and numbered "103", stem in a ball finial projecting from the top and housing a plunger release, that when lifted up, releases the directional needle and when pushed down, secures the directional needle in place, a ring for suspension fed through the ball finial, measuring 69 mm in diameter x 16 mm in depth, extremely fine. In its hardshelled case of issue, velvet lined, recessed bed to house the compass, 97 mm x 97 mm x 32 mm, missing its catch, scuffed exterior, case fine.

Footnote: Carl Bamberg (1847-1892) served an apprenticeship with Carl Zeiss at Jena and studied at the Universities of Jena and Berlin before establishing a "Werkstätten für Präzisions-Mechanik und Optik" in Friedenau, a suburb of Berlin, in 1871. After Bamberg's death, the firm was managed by his widow, and then by his son. Bamberg merged with the Centralwerkstatte Dessau in 1921, forming a new company known as Askania Werke. (C:102)