This very nice Gurley Pocket Railroad Compass comes with its original box and a correct replacement tripod, making for a great display instrument. The compass is in excellent condition with a lot of its original lacquer. I suspect the compass wasn't used much.

I believe this instrument was made around 1880. The best dating clue is the paper label glued to the inside of the box lid (see pic below). Based on Aregood's Book for dating Gurley Transits, Gurley used this label around 1876.

I believe the name inside the box is George S Coon, but I am not sure of the last name. I could not find a George Coon in Leadville Colorado. There was a Coon Valley Mine near Leadville, CO, so perhaps compass and George relate to the mine. Having a compass that compass take angles independently of the needle would make sense for a mining operation,

The needle is about 3.5 inches long, and the level vials hold liquid. One of the glass vials is a replacement but looks original nonetheless because we were able to preserve the original green paper backing.

The needle lifter operates properly.

This style of Gurley Pocket RR Compasses are pretty hard to find. My Gurley Production records indicate that Gurley only made 34 Pocket Railroad Compasses from 1878 to 1885. This is a really nice example, with a tripod and a very cool box, and with a known original owner. I suspect there are not many better examples out there.

I have a good deal of information about Gurley, including some production information, posted on my Gurley Maker Webpage.