I had the great fortune to purchase an antique surveyor's compass yesterday. The compass is in pretty good shape, has the original wood box with leather handle, and both sighting pieces. I paid $60 for it. I had a good friend tell me that it was a great deal.
The stamping on the bottom is 1945, and I am assuming that based upon my initial research, that is probably a serial number. The area where the staff appears to mount to the compass is stamped 45.
Any help anyone can provide to help me find out more about this compass is greatly appreciated. 
I'm going to guess that the instrument is 1930s or 1940s vintage. The colored fluid in the level vials and the block letters in the company name on the compass face say "relatively modern" to me.
On the other hand, there is this:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_759014
Larry and Carole Meeker (LCM@AntiqBuyer.com) buy and sell top end quality antique instruments (among other things). Larry has found some information for me a time or two in the past. If I wanted to find a mfg. year for a Randolph compass I'd probably try contacting them. But remember, he's a dealer..not a historian.
The T.F. Randolph Co. was in business at 51 W. 4th St., Cincinnati, O. at the following times:
1885 https://books.google.com/books?id=LltDAQAAMAAJ
1886 https://books.google.com/books?id=v4U4AQAAMAAJ
1889 https://books.google.com/books?id=Bok4AQAAMAAJ
However, by 1897, their address was listed as 232 E. 5th St., Cincinnati, O.
https://books.google.com/books?id=SCQ1AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA5-PA74&dq=T.+F.+Randolph+surveying+compass&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_lNvC_PPLAhVJlx4KHXRmB80Q6AEIRTAD#v=onepage&q=T. F. Randolph surveying compass&f=false
and this 1922 Cincinnati City Directory lists T.F. Randolph & Co. at 238 E. 5th St.
I'm still thinking 1930s or 40s, though. The box may be older than the compass.
Note that the face of your compass doesn't seem to have the 1879 patent date on it, presumably because the patent had lapsed. The layout of the vials is different from that of the compasses with the '79 patent date incribed.
Thanks guys. I had a busy weekend, and have not had much of a chance to really look at it. I'll have to take some more pictures. I did not purchase it for the value, I picked it up because one day I want to have a display case with my collectable items in it, and this is a great addition.
The vials do look somewhat modern.
The lack of ornate detail on the face suggests the same.
The box label is interesting.
The various fonts used plus bold,condensed and italic fonts suggests it was hand set.
Red ink and italic fonts were scarcely used in the 19th century for commercial printing.
Labels like these were still hand-set pre-war using a mix of antique and contemporary font styles.
Looks like a different font style and size for every info line item.
There are many others who know a lot more than me for sure
Jimmy Cleveland, post: 365474, member: 91 wrote: I did not purchase it for the value, I picked it up because one day I want to have a display case with my collectable items in it, and this is a great addition.
Jimmy,
For your next compass survey, here are some guidelines for "Organization of Party" from my 1897 ICS "Text book on Surveying and Mapping"...
DDSM:beer:
PS: I'll trade you a Warren Knight Sipe Sumner Pattern Surveying Compass for your 'worn out' antique. We can make the swap 4/7/2016 at the 4H Center...save all kinds of shipping costs...
Dan B. Robison, post: 365528, member: 34 wrote: Jimmy,
For your next compass survey, here are some guidelines for "Organization of Party" from my 1897 ICS "Text book on Surveying and Mapping"...
DDSM:beer:
PS: I'll trade you a Warren Knight Sipe Sumner Pattern Surveying Compass for your 'worn out' antique. We can make the swap 4/7/2016 at the 4H Center...save all kinds of shipping costs...
I'll bring it to look at for sure! Not sure if I want to trade, but we can definitely look at it.
Thanks to Dave Ingram, I know know a little more about the compass I recently purchased.
He happened to have an old T.F. Randolph catalog,and based upon his research, my compass is believed to have been manufactured sometime in the mid 1880's. The illustration in the second picture looks just like my compass.
I would really like to find the adjustable base like the one in this picture. I believe It would fit my compass nicely.
Thanks Dave, I appreciate your help.
Jimmy Cleveland, post: 366998, member: 91 wrote: Thanks to Dave Ingram, I know know a little more about the compass I recently purchased.
He happened to have an old T.F. Randolph catalog,and based upon his research, my compass is believed to have been manufactured sometime in the mid 1880's. The illustration in the second picture looks just like my compass.
If I'm remembering the photo you posted of the face of your compass, though, it doesn't have the 1879 patent date engraved on it, right? Just askin'.
Kent, You are correct, it does not have the patent inscribed, at least not upon initial inspection. Whether it is from the 1880's or the 1940's, I am pretty excited to have it in my collection.
I am hoping to have a chance this upcoming weekend, or one night later this week, to do some more inspection on the compass, and try to do some additional research.
Jimmy Cleveland, post: 367021, member: 91 wrote: Kent, You are correct, it does not have the patent inscribed, at least not upon initial inspection. Whether it is from the 1880's or the 1940's, I am pretty excited to have it in my collection.
If patents had a life of 20 years, then, that would mean that by 1899 the 1879 patent would have expired and wouldn't have been worth engraving on the instrument face. The other clue, I think, is where the plate vials are set on the compass face. in the earliest examples of that compass I've seen photos of, the North point on the face runs between the vials. Add in the greenish dye in the fluid of the vials and I still think a 20th-century manufacturing date will turn out to be correct. I'm not saying it isn't a cool instrument, just adding up the clues as to date of manufacture.
Kent McMillan, post: 367039, member: 3 wrote: If patents had a life of 20 years, then, that would mean that by 1899 the 1879 patent would have expired and wouldn't have been worth engraving on the instrument face. The other clue, I think, is where the plate vials are set on the compass face. in the earliest examples of that compass I've seen photos of, the North point on the face runs between the vials. Add in the greenish dye in the fluid of the vials and I still think a 20th-century manufacturing date will turn out to be correct. I'm not saying it isn't a cool instrument, just adding up the clues as to date of manufacture.
Yea, I wish I could find somewhere that had a little more info on these instruments. It will be an interesting use of my "spare" time, if there is such a thing.
