posted on March 10, 2006 06:23:07 PM
A neighbor of mine showed this to me today & we both wondered if anyone would have more information about it & what kind of value it might have.
She is 94 & this belonged to her father in law. it's a scale to weigh gold. It is wood & metal & measures 5&1/4 inches when close, 1" wide & about 1/2 deep. She thinks it dates back to colonial days. It's in very nice condition & still works. When you open the case the scale pops up. There are no markings of any kind, but there is part of a paper label inside & maybe you can read some of the printing, it seems to be instructions on how to use it.
I told her I would post it on Vendio & ask the experts.
Neat scale! The label isn't complete... but I think I've made some of it out. Here's what I was able to read:
.... for a guinea the other... at the.... will stop... it stops Sever (maybe several?)... each a .... above the standard. When Gold... other... where every division is a penny.... Scales, more expeditious, portable and ....
The "..." are where the label gets illegible to me... Anyhow, I hope that helps!
UPPER LEFT LINKS = Click on "COIN SCALES"
Then:
Go to LAST item on left:
BGB18 - English Folding Coin Scale
"English self-raising folding gold coin scale, steelyard type, 1818. Mahogany box is 14 cm long x 3.8 cm wide. The scale weighs the sovereign and also the half sovereign, by turning over a piece of metal towards the pivot of the scale. A sliding weight on a 1-15 graduation shows the number of grains short. Two printed labels read "Stephen Houghton & Son ORMSKIRK successors to A. Wilkinson" and "Current wts of gold coins sovereign 5 dwt. 2 1/2 gr. Half sovereign 2 dwt 13 1/8 gr.". Identified by Lavagne."
posted on March 10, 2006 07:14:05 PM
I saw one of these on BBC What's In the Attic. darn darn darn I can't remember what it sold for though.
It was for taking around when you were wanting to make sure you got your dollars worth. They'd whip this out of their pocket and make sure their pound was a pound. Or however it went.
posted on March 10, 2006 07:14:41 PM
I think tomwii might be on to something! And, if I'm right and the word in the top line of the label is actually "guinea" then that should help you date this. Here's a link to some info on the British Guinea:
posted on March 10, 2006 07:20:59 PM
Here's another scale that looks almost identical, but in slightly better condition. This ones label is complete, and the wording in the label seems to match up with the one on yours. Hope that helps!
posted on March 10, 2006 07:22:05 PM
It was one of the items on Cash in the Attic this week and i can't remember either what it brought at auction. But the era was if I remember correctly George the 3rd. It was as glass girl said to make sure you got your pounds worth in the coin you received. Neat piece!
"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself—not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch."
—After visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006
posted on March 10, 2006 07:41:03 PM
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[b]Might it be:
English Folding Coin Scale:[/b]
It sure is Tom, how about that. It's the same design.
I thought of you right away when I saw the scale.
eauction
I do believe that is the same scale. Rosalie's scale has the same button on the end of the box & I'm sure it's mahogany. The lable does look the same even if it's half gone.
glassgrl Not a bad thing to carry around. I read somewhere that people used to file bits of gold off the coins. It all adds up you know.
Thanks everyone, you came up with all the answers in record time......I knew you would.
"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself—not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch."