The dark water of a storm can easily confuse and confound a boat sailing on the ocean. GPS is a great deterrent of this situation in the modern world, but sailors of old had more trouble. Dire situations such as these were often addressed by the navigator’s expertise. Determining a safe path the ship can take to evade the worst of the storm was normally determined by a navigator with maps and some quick mathematical thinking. Sextants were vital to this work, but so was the reliable compass. The compass pointed directly to magnetic north, and therefore provided a stable and surefire way of determining direction. People who lived in older times and those who live in modern times both are helped by the directional certainty of the compass. Those who travel a lot will always bring a trusty compass with them.

In today’s world, many antique compasses are used as both display items and traveling gear. Antique compasses age very well when compared to their other decorative item peers. This graceful aging is most likely due to the quality of the make as well as the metal strength. Assuming antique compasses would be used in harsh terrain whether on land or sea, the makers of these items crafted them to last. Antique compasses were constantly made from metal that was double layered. This metal would often be brass or silver.

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Antique compasses that were to be used on land were quite different compared to the others crafted specially for the sea. Tempering the compass’s metal proved beneficial when the compass was used on the sea - sea salt corrosion was much less likely to occur. Antique compasses of the sea were almost always made from a derivative of brass metal, as the brass inherently resisted all forms of sea water rust. Since these compasses focused on the ocean, many crafters made their accents out of wood to compliment the theme of ‘sea’. Sea antique compasses are often more likely to be seen attached to a chain, as the chain kept the compass from flying out of the hand of an owner during the jostling of a ship.

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Mountain based compasses, however, were crafted to resist frost, magnetic disruption, and falls. Because certain types of ores in the rocks could cause a compass to go haywire, many makers insulated the tool with rubber. For many, these items led them to safety in times of danger in the mountains. In very bright light, these items could also be used to send signals to others watching as the metal was used to catch sunlight. Eyewitness accounts and many old west tales speak of this tactic used by train robbers and their crew to coordinate their strike.

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One thing most antique compasses have in common is that they are engraved in some way. These carvings could be anything from a name to a date. Pictures were sometimes implanted in the top portion of the compass so that they could be seen when the item was opened. These pictures were usually of family, friends, and landscapes.