Captain America First Avenger ww2 compass

[grayofsand]

Hey guys and gals, I am building a little Marvel shrine in my den and I would like to ask if anyone knows which type or name of the model of the compass that he uses in the film to keep Peggy Carter's photo close to him!

I attached a photo from a scene of the film where you see it.

Any help will be appreciated, cheers.

 

[Ocean11]

Standard issue U.S.G.I. lensatic compass. It is sometimes called an "Engineer's" compass as well. On an original the top would be marked with "Corps of Engineers U.S. Army." You can find originals out there in places that sell used/vintage militaria stuff. Reproductions are fairly easy to find on line and in big box retailers that have a camping section.
Unlike the more modern version, the WW2 version does not have a scale along one side.

 

[hypevince]

i once bought a compass for a trip to the forest 7 years ago, noww i'm 16 and found out i bought an original ww2 compass like the one used in TFA, now that's a dollar deal

 

[grayofsand]

That is indeed a treasure find Hypevince! Hehe

Many thanks Ocean11, I will do a proper search around eBay and perhaps I get lucky too...and there is also a guy there that makes very realistic aged props from Captain America including THAT Peggy Carter photo!

 

[grayofsand]

I found one quite similar on eBay but it says "WWII era W.& L.E. Gurley Troy New York Army / Paratrooper Compass" and it doesn't have any markings or writings on the top...everything else is quite similar and looks proper vintage.

 

[Ocean11]

I saw that one too. I'm always cautious when a listing says "paratrooper." Many times that is an effort to try to obtain a higher premium on an item.
Don't forget that there were often various contractors that produced the same item for the war effort. In the case of lensatic compasses, apparently W. & L.E. Gurley was one of the major suppliers. Almost every item ever issued has its own "niche." Collectors can tell you all the subtle differences between the various contractors and the items they produced.
To complicate things even more the compass he used could also be a private purchase item and not standard issue.

 

[grayofsand]

Indeed it can complicate things...a tough one indeed...I am following some listings for those both types...I will try to go with my gut feeling when it is time to purchase one of them (I want to avoid paying mega bucks for it).
Thanks again Ocean11, and if you discover more things pls let me know.

 

[Ocean11]

You're welcome. Good luck! I can't wait to see what you put together.

 

[wolfwalker]

Any good places to find the photo? Tried doing a search on ebay, didnt have any luck.

 

[grayofsand]

Yep, will surely show you guys! Cheers.

Hi wolfwalker, if you do a search 'captain america photo Peggy Carter' on eBay.co.uk you will find it...and the guy creates more Captain America props (and other Avengers), including aged photos of the Howling Commandos, Bucky, skinny Steve Rogers, etc.

Haven't got anything from him yet, but I am curious about his replicas...I need to add more treasures to my geeky den! Lol

 

[bobatrek]

Been working on the compass myself. Here's a rough pic if you want, that I put together.

 

[wolfwalker]

Thanks gang for the assist.
Been wanting to make a copy of the compass but wasn't having any luck on the photo. Was planning on using a stock photo but couldn't match it.
Thanks again.

 

[Drawdeep]

The compass in the movie is absolutely a Gurley WWII era as issued to the Army Corp of Engineers. It is hard to make out on your picture, but on the Blu-ray on my big screen, you can clearly see the "EY" in Gurley and the "NY U.S.A".

You can get in the ballpark much cheaper with an older metal Lensatic, but they will be made in Japan, which is just wrong for Cap to be carrying

 

[grayofsand]

I am following a Corps Engineer compass from WWII on eBay and that one is not 'made in Japan', the front of the lid says 'manufactured in N.Y. USA'.
It is quite similar to a Gurley but there is no writing inside the actual compass.

 

[bobatrek]

I am wondering if it is a trick of the light or, more likely, they used two different versions of the compass. This one has a gold sighting slot.

 

[grayofsand]

Hmmm, I noticed that too...it's like the troll doll in Guardians of the Galaxy, they used at least two different ones, despite they have the same hair colour, etc...only the faces are different. Lol

For now, I stopped following some of the compasses that are DEFINITELY not the one that Steve used.

 

[KDThompson]

I just want to give a huge thank you to bobatrek for putting together that really nice news paper clipping image for the inside of the compass lid. I ordered my own W.& L.E. Gurley compass this past weekend and it arrived today! The photo worked out great and fits like a dream. I did a bit of 'weathering' to the edge with a pair of scissors and ripped the edge to mimic the look from the hero compass' photo before sticking the photo inside of the lid with a bit of double sided fashion tape.

 

[PropReplicator2]

Standard issue U.S.G.I. lensatic compass. It is sometimes called an "Engineer's" compass as well. On an original the top would be marked with "Corps of Engineers U.S. Army." You can find originals out there in places that sell used/vintage militaria stuff. Reproductions are fairly easy to find on line and in big box retailers that have a camping section.
Unlike the more modern version, the WW2 version does not have a scale along one side.

This is great because i have been looking for one and couldn't find the exact name. So thanks to you Ocean11!!

 

[PropReplicator2]

Been working on the compass myself. Here's a rough pic if you want, that I put together.

http://www.cicproject.com/misc/PCcompass.jpg

This is great work! Gonna come in handy when i purchase my compass. Thanks!

 

[Johnnyfl]

I know that this thread is a bit old but I just picked up a compass myself so looking to find the right photo for it. bobatrek did a great job with the earlier pic but the photo of Peggy is not the one used in the TFA image. I believe the one below is much closer. I just need to figure out how to convert it to the old print look like bobatrek did, any ideas?