Kelvin & Wilfrid O White Company Spherical Compass, In Box

Original Or Reproduction

Vintage original

This is a very nice boxed spherical compass manufactured by the Kelvin & Wilfred O White Company in Boston. The liquid-filled gimballed compass is housed inside a mahogany box. The gimbal ring is stamped "Kelvin White Boston" "Spherical Compass" with the serial number GS154. The compass face is 6" across and is magnified by the spherical glass. There is a small air bubble from loss of fluid over the years, but it does not affect functionality. The gimbal ring rotates smoothly as it should and the compass stays level and points due north. The box itself is in great shape and measures 9" x 9", and is 6" high. There is no lid for this box, but that does not detract from it's overall appearance. This is a beautiful piece of maritime history and would be a great addition to any nautical history buff's collection. These pieces don't come up very often, and in fact, are very hard to find online. Complete pieces, with the box lid and in pristine condition fetch over $600. Without the box and in fair condition you can expect to pay around $200. That makes this piece very fairly priced. Some company information from the Internet: The Kelvin-White company made marine instruments for nautical navigation, particularly compasses and binnacles. Since 1918, when Wilfrid O. White formed the Kelvin & Wilfrid O. White Company in Boston, the White family has specialized in manufacturing and servicing finer nautical and weather instruments. In 1961 Robert E. White Instruments Inc. grew out of the former company, continuing sales and service. ​Kelvin and Wilfrid O. White, Co. was a nautical instruments shop founded in Boston in 1918 by Wilfrid O. White (1(contact info removed)), an Australian immigrant from a family of shipbuilders. Prior to opening his business, he studied with Lord Kelvin (of absolute zero fame) in Glasgow. The shop sold all types of nautical navigation equipment, ocean charts, and also manufactured navigation instruments. In the mid-1920s they even tried their hand in the radio business, but radios from Kelvin-White are infrequently found. White married the daughter of George Eldridge, and Kelvin and Wilfrid O. White Co. took over publishing of updated versions of the Eldridge Charts. The firm also operated stores in New York City and Montreal. In 1950, White was joined in the business by his two sons, and it was renamed Wilfrid O. White and Sons, Inc. That company was sold in 1961 and became Danforth Compass (now Viking Instruments). Today, White's descendants are still in the nautical instruments business in Boston under the name Robert E. White Instruments, Inc. There, they maintain the family tradition in the repair, service, and calibration of marine sextants, aneroid barometers, and barographs. They also continue as distributors of the Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book.