An extremely rare Francis Barker M-71, complete with its original fitted leather case. The Francis Barker M-71 Prismatic Military compass was a direct descendant of the legendary Barker Mk III that was introduced in 1932 and used by British armed forces throughout the second world war. The M-71 was only made during 1971, in very limited quantities, before being replaced by the M-72 in 1972. The M-72 was itself quickly replaced by the M-73, which remains in production today, is standard issue with many armed forces, and is regarded as the world's finest liquid prismatic compass,
The M-71 has a brass case and lid, and a mother of pearl dial with a triangular luminous North marker. The most noticeable difference between the M-71 and M-72 is that the M-71 has luminous paint markers, rather than the tritium lights seen on the M-72. There is also a luminous paint well under the index ring near the hinge, rather than the lozenge shaped well with a tritium light that was used on the M-72.
Most of the M-71 and M-72 compasses were totally unmarked, with no maker's marks, serial numbers, or NATO stock numbers. Some of the last to be produced had the lettering 'PAT APPL. FOR' on the base. Almost all of the M-71 compasses were exported to Australia, and this is an exceptionally rare fully-marked example with Australian retailers markings - 'Precision Instrument Co. Pty Ltd, Sydney', 'PAT. APPL. FOR', and 'Made in England' on the base.
(Further details of the M-71 can be found in Paul Crespel's book Trade Mark London, available to view as a PDF at trademarklondon.com)
Francis Barker & Son: were established in London in 1848, as a maker of compasses and scientific instruments. Francis Barker produced a very wide range of compass designs over the years, supplying major retailers such as Negretti & Zambra, J. Lizars, C. W. Dixey, Dollond, and many others. The company prospered until 1932, when it was taken over and became F. Barker & Son (1932). After WW2 the company changed hands several times and the name is now owned by Pyser-Optics of Edenbridge in Kent. They continue to produce the renowned Barker M-73, widely acknowledged to be the world's finest prismatic compass.
Condition:
In very good condition, full working order, and finds North very well. There are just minor signs of use, and some slight wear to the paint finish. The mother of pearl card is in very good condition. The prism, index glass, and lid window are in very good condition. The luminous paint markers are working very well, making the compass suitable for use in total darkness, as originally intended. The original fitted leather case and shoulder strap are in very good condition.
Dimensions : 85mm x 60mm x 30mm
