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Three Early D. W. Brunton Compasses

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:150.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 800.00 USD
Three Early D. W. Brunton Compasses
SOLD
190.00USDto c*********p+ buyer's premium (42.75)
This item SOLD at 2015 Apr 18 @ 09:50UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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All three say, "D. W. Brunton's patent Sept 18, 1894." "Wm. Ainsworth & Sons, Sole Manufacturers, Denver, Colo. USA." Serial numbers 2338, 2518, and 14456. Serial 2518 is inscribed R. G. Mead. There was an R. G. Mead who worked as a field engineer for the land office during the Antelope Valey Canal (Arizona) project in 1914. Such a person would want one of these instruments.



In the early 1890's William Ainsworth was introduced to a Canadian gentleman named David W. Brunton and this started Ainsworth's interest in to the surveying markets. Being a geologist Brunton had seen the high quality balances that Ainsworth made and knew that he wanted Ainsworth to make his new compass. David Brunton had an idea of a portable pocket transit or compass and needed someone to manufacture the instrument. This Brunton Pocket Transit or Compass was a hit with geologists or anyone needing a light weight instrument to carry in the field so needless to say the instrument started to take off like wild fire. Ainsworth made Brunton compasses for 75 years with D. W. Brunton's name on it until 1972 when they sold the name and the tooling to the Brunton Company in Riverton, WY.

City: Denver
State: Colorado,
Date: after 1894

FHWAC#: 27553