I was a geology student in 1956 and starting to survey caves in New York and
West Virginia. I stumbled on a used Brunton in a pawn shop in Manhattan. New
ones did indeed sell for around $100 at that time. This one was a reasonable
bargain but still, I thought, on the high-side for a pawn shop item. (I don't
remember exactly but in the $35-40 range) It was, however, in really good (I'd
call it "like new") condition.
I had my wallet out and was about to consummate the deal
.Then I told the guy:
“Wait. This is defective!”
“What!”
“Yes, look at this, they have east and west reversed!”
I think I paid him $5.00 for it. Also came with a nice, new-looking leather
case.
DirtDoc
(If you have never used a Brunton, you may not understand why this is so
humorous. That's the way they are built so they read correctly when you look
down at the compass needle. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it.)
This has been a major tool of mine for 63 years. I still have this and it has
been used both for surface geology and in many, many, miles of cave, a lot of
it virgin (including Jewel Cave). Used it on the surface a few months ago to
locate some survey corners in Big Bend. There was no GPS information available.
One of the best bargains I ever made. Buyer Beware!
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