When was it made?
Gurley Insturments can be dated one of two ways; building on the label and the type of engraving used. Using these methods, the date of the creation of this insturment can be estimated.
The writing on this compass has varying width and therefore indicates that it was hand carved rather than machine engraved. This could be confirmed if V-Shaped marks are found, however there is glass in place. The lack of a serial number means that this machine had to have been made prior to 1908. The hand carving pushes this back even further, as machines were brought in in 1880.
Although the label here is hidden by the "32" from the cataloguing system, the text underneath is a clear way to distinguish that the label is one from 1874 manual. This provides a concrete way to date the compass.
