An Antique Nautical Compass For Collectors

Both the sky and the sea are mirrors of one another - both are a deep, ultramarine blue that evokes the image of a giant sapphire. The wind itself is as calm and quiet as the sea. This clarity of both sky and sea helps one to see very far into the hazy line that is the horizon.A deep, dark shape begins appearing from over the faint horizon. This dark shape can be seen up close as a single ship.A bored sailor clutches a metallic object in his hand as he stares out into the sky. The sailor will glance down to the mysterious object occasionally.

The sky is a mirror of the bright blue water that stretches on for what seems like an eternity. The wind glows in a soft pattern of gusts. The entire scene is a striking blue that helps to clear the horizon so that the slightest oncoming ship can be seen. A deep, dark shape begins appearing from over the faint horizon. The shape is both tall and wide, and when it draws closer is revealed to be a ship. A sailor stands on the side, looking out into the water with something metallic clutched in his hands.As if using it as a guide, the sailor looks down at the metallic object a few times every couple of minutes.

This special item is a beautiful antique nautical compass. The antique nautical compass is a round, flat disc made of metal and glass that can tell which direction one is facing in relation to magnetic north. The hands were accurate on an antique nautical compass because of the lodestone the compass had within it. The earth has two magnetic poles that lodestone reacts most accurately and strongly to. With north and south both determined, east and west can be inferred as well. In order to do this, the position of the sun is often used as a guide.

For people of all eras, the antique nautical compass was essential on any sort of journey. Many people trusted this item with their life to lead them to where they needed to go. In areas that were as of yet unexplored or had only a few maps to go by, the antique nautical compass was vital to the success of a journey. Nearly every single calculation of a cartographer of old was determined by these items, and hunters used them to make mental maps of where they had placed their snares.Whalers relied on this item heavily to remember the patterns of migrating whales. Dozens of antique nautical compasses were put on board most types of trade ships.

These pieces are crafted using a metal casing. While the metal can be of any type, brass was used in great quantities for compasses on the ocean. Brass is a naturally resistant metal in terms of water oxidization as well as sea salt corrosion. In order to make these pieces more cost efficient, tin shells with brass coatings were very common. The compass then had a glass faceplate added over the top to keep the lodestone within. Sealing the compass in this manner ensured that air would not interfere with the lodestone’s reaction. Removing the air from the faceplate was a way to make a compass better than it had been before. Many men carried an antique nautical compass with them, and a gift of this item to a young adventurous boy was very common. When sailing was in its heyday, nearly everyone dreamed of the great adventure an antique nautical compass could bring to your beach house decor.