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A dry card compass 3 1/8" in diameter with brass bowl & gimbal ring mounted in a 5 1/8" x 5 1/8" x 3 7/8" height box with dovetailed corners and sliding cover. Robert Merrill was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on April 19, 1804. He was first listed as a "mathematical instrument" maker in the New York City directory of 1835-1836 with a partner, William Davis. Shortly thereafter, in 1838 Merrill struck out on his own as a compass maker at the address 141 Maiden Lane. In 1865 Merrill took his sons into the business. He died in 1876.(Charles Smart, "The Makers of Surveying Instruments in America Since 1700," 1962, Regal Art Press, New York.)
Nautical Antiques
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