• Brand/Maker: A. Lietz Co., San Francisco • Type: Ship’s Conning Compass • Material: Brass/bronze housing, mounting ring, glass dome • Origin: United States • Era: 1920s (dated Sept. 1927) • Height: approx. 5.5” • Face/Dial diameter: approx. 5” • Base diameter: approx. 4” • Maker: A. Lietz Co., San Francisco (maker’s mark and fleur-de-lis logo visible on dial) • Marked: “U.S. NAVY CONNING,” Serial No. 14873, dated SEPT. 1927 • Type: Conning compass — mounted where an officer could read heading while directing the ship • Dial: 360° graduated bezel in 10° increments, with primary compass points (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) around a central spherical dome • Housing: Brass/bronze body set into a wood mounting ring, secured with flathead screws; glass viewing dome over the dial • Dimensions: Approx. 5.5” tall, 5” dial diameter, 4” base diameter • Condition: Genuine age and patina consistent with a nearly 100-year-old nautical instrument — verdigris and tarnish on the brass body, wear to the dial finish, honest surface scuffs (see photos closely, as they’re part of the description). Sold as a display/collector’s piece; not verified for functional navigational accuracy.
A wonderful piece of naval history for collectors of nautical antiques, maritime instruments, or early 20th-century Navy memorabilia.