The Jones Compass is a Very Nice Example of a Third Design GC Compass

Third Design - Counters (Poles/Miles), the later“W” for WEST designations, No L-T Tables
Approximately Late 1790s to no later than 1803

To date GC Compasses with Counters, I look for 3 things:

1. What the W's look like.
2. Whether the Compass has a L - T table (L is for Links, T for Tenths).
3. Whether the Compass features an Eagle.

For coming up with the time period, I focused on the Jones (GC7), Garwood (GC15) and McKay (GC21) Compasses.

The Jones (GC15) Compass (shown below) is a Third Design compass - it has the later W - it does not look like earlier“W" GC used in the Second Design Period. While it has the later "W", the compass lacks the L-T Table that Goldsmith would introduce later. J. Jones was almost certainly Joshua Jones (a Quaker), who moved from VA to KY in 1801. I suspect Jones purchased his 3rd Design GC compass prior to moving.

The Garwood (GC7) (shown below) is a Third Design compass as well, and was almost certainly owned by John Garwood, who went to the same Quaker Friends Meetings as Goldsmith. Garwood moved to Ohio circa 1803. I suspect Jones purchased his 3rd Design GC compass prior to moving.

The McKay Compass (GC 21) is a Fourth Design compass - it has the later W design AND a L - T table. This is a key compass from a dating perspective. GC and McKay were close friends, and McKay died in 1804. Thus, we know for sure that the Second and Third Design compasses were done by 1804.

Note: A collector who visited my website sent me a pic of his GC compass - Grayson (7a). This compass is unique - it features the early“W” for WEST designations AND has an L-T Table. I suspect that the late 1790s and early 1800s was a transitional time for GC in terms of his compass-making. And the Grayson compass might have a story - the compass mainplate might be engraved at a different time, for example.