Accession No

0827

Brief Description

hydrostatic folding coin balance, attributed to Jesse Ramsden, English, 1770 (c)

Origin

England; London [based on attributed maker]

Maker

Ramsden, Jesse [attributed]

Class

balances

Earliest Date

1770

Latest Date

1770

Inscription Date

Material

metal (brass, steel); wood; cloth (velvet); paper

Dimensions

box length 140mm; breadth 32mm; thickness 17mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Purchased by Robert Stewart Whipple from T.H. Court, Harrow, England, on 07/04/1937.

Inscription

Description Notes

Unequal arm type with sliding weight; wooden box with paper covering. Brass beam graduated 36, 27, 21, 18, 13-6, 10-6, 9, 6-9, 5-3, 4-6 in shillings where 36s = 1/2 johannis, 27s = 1 moidore, 21s = 1 guinea. Sliding weight graduated [0] - 24 pennies by 6 to 1 on two slightly differing scales marked ‘A’ (air) and ‘W’ (water). Slide with spring clip. Open steel bearing. ‘H’ type hanger; rectangular coin plate with slot down centre. Straight brass column with aperture for steel knife edge bearing. Brass link and rest. Folds on sprung hinge manually into case. Case lined with red velvet; hinged lid; clip fastening; covered with paper imitating green shagreen.

Unsigned: attributed to Jesse Ramsden by Olivia Brown in Whipple Catalogue 2: Balances & Weights.

Condition: fair (box slightly broken); complete.

References

Events