Balance

Object Name:

Balance

Object ID:

1960.207 c

Description:

Balance scale, in wooden box.

Scale: Steel, brass, and textile. Height 11.2", width 9.25", depth 0.5". Pan diameter 2.4", height 0.25". Total weight 39 grams. Gray cloth tassel at top connected to S hook, which is connected to balance yoke. Two long arms on steel yoke terminate in two circular graduated discs that end with very small pointed finial damper for yoke. Upper pair of disc holes with knife edge bearing of balance arm. Second hole contains U-shaped finial with small rounded point at bottom. Finial connects to both sides of yoke. Indicating arm just above knife edge on balance arm, 1.4" long. Arm tapered with small turned finial at top. Balance arm tapers to flared end that turns upward and then outward to hole. Hole S hook. Three dark-colored woven cords on bottom portion of S hook. Cords extend to shallow brass pans and knotted on bottom side of pans. Red and blue textile tassel that encloses ends of cords at top of cords where they loop through S hook. Three concentric rings lightly inscribed on concave side as decorations of shallow pans. Tops of pans tarnished, but with polished surface. Bottoms of pans smooth. Both with small scraped area where filed, perhaps to adjust weights. One pan has "5" scratched onto bottom outside surface. Some decorative lines and shapes in balance arm and yoke. Also in box are ten weights; one appears to be lead; others are brass.; seven of heavy stock; three of thin sheet brass. Circular punches in corners of weights where big enough for that. Stamp of four-legged animal facing left on brass weights. Different stamps on lead weight, which weighs 7 grams. Brass weights: 8 grams, 6 grams, 4 grams, 3 grams, and 1 gram. Total of all ten: 33 grams.

Box: Medium brown hardwood. Rectangular. Sides and top are 0.2" thick. Simple nails seem to be bent over holding corners together. Two single-looped wire hinges on top. Single wire loop extends through hole in top at back where fanciful brass swing arm secures loop. Small wood wall enclosure in front left corner, roughly 2" square. Coarse woven green cloth on bottom inside surface of box. Inside lid of box has printed paper label on left side: "A TABLE of the Weight and Value of Gold." Column at left "Coins". Top one "Guinea". Below that "Half ditto." Below that "moidore". Below that "half ditto". Next one down "2 Pillole Piece". Below "half ditto", then same "pillole". "Half ditto" next line. "Modouele Johannes," "Single ditto", then "A half ditto", next time "Quarter ditto". Next to that column, columns for penny weights, grains, Old tenor, Lawful Money". Bottom half of label: "Value of Gold" One ounce of gold is" and continued of same. "Old Tenor." Another column "Lawful Money". Lists of numbers. Lower section "Value of Silver" with same weight measures as for gold. Pissole vs Pillole. Spanish milled'd dollars pass for 6 shillings Lawful Money, and / Forty five shillings, Old ....in Massachusetts Bay."

Material:

Metal
Wood
Textile
Brass
Lead

Dimensions:

H-1.3 L-8 D-3.75 inches Weight-5.4 oz

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Collection