Accession No

0301

Brief Description

money scales and weights, by Johann Caspar Mittelstenscheid, German, 19th Century

Origin

Germany; Lennep

Maker

Mittelstenscheid, Johann Caspar

Class

balances

Earliest Date

1800

Latest Date

1900

Inscription Date

Material

metal (steel, brass); rope (cord); wood; paper

Dimensions

box length 188mm; breadth 105mm; thickness 25mm

Special Collection

Robert Whipple collection

Provenance

Inscription

‘Diese wichte Waag und vicht
macht
von Ihro Churfurstl. Durchl.
zu Pfalz-Bayern
gnadigst privilegirter und
geschworner
JOHANN CASPAR MITTELSTENSCHEID
in der Bergischen Hauptstadt Lennep, 18__’ (label in lid)
‘JUSTIRT’ (adjuster’s mark)

Description Notes

Steel beam and fittings; swan’s neck beam ends; self-locating steel knife edge and ring bearings; steel index, steel gallows with ring bearing; brass ring to tassel. Circular brass pans with green cords.
Fitted wooden box; slots for 24 lozenge-shaped weights all stamped with denomination and lion rampant and with small turned brass handle. Denomination painted in red above the slot. Hinged brass lid over slot for 9 fractional weights. Paper label pasted in lid. Hook fastenings stamped with concentric circles.

Condition: good; complete.

References

Events

Description
Shop and business owners would have used these to make sure customers weren’t using counterfeit coins. The owner put real money onto one side and the customer’s money on the other and if the balance wasn’t equal then the customer got caught. Many of these were produced because during this time as criminals were frequently able to shave small quantities of gold from the coins. This decreased their value whilst still maintaining their shape and design.

[Label written by work experience student Jack in 2019]
26/09/2022
Created by: Morgan Bell on 26/09/2022

FM:43153