Thanks everyone for their comments. I'll try to convince some research contacts of mine in the universities to help me out in getting the thing tested, just to put my mind totally at ease, especially if the thing will be in my house for the next who knows how many years.
Funny how I was...
Hi all, just to point out that I am a lay person as far as physics go, but thought that perhaps someone here can help me!
While in St. Petersburg recently I went to a flea market and purchased the ship's compass from a Soviet Submarine. Not exactly sure from which sub or when it was built...