Brass Beam Scale - Class B

These brass scales would have stood on a shop counter. Weights would have been put on the left-hand tray to counter the items put on the right-hand side. Like the rest of the scales, the trays are made of brass and therefore would not have been used for anything perishable such as meat, fish, butter or cheese. It is possible that these scales were used to weigh 'dry goods' such as tea or sugar. Unlike today, these goods were sold in loose amounts by weight. So, instead of buying an 8 oz packet of tea, you could go into a provisions shop and ask for (say) 3 oz of tea to be weighed. The brass scales would take a lot of polishing and cleaning - who would have done this in a grocer's shop in 1860? 


 
Brass Beam Scale - Class B

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