Accession No

1411

Brief Description

Two boxes of Troy weights by Oertling, early 20th C

Origin

London; England

Maker

Oertling. L

Class

weights & measures

Earliest Date

1900

Latest Date

1950

Inscription Date

Material

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

Dimensions

Box length 168mm; box 140mm; box height 61mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Transferred from the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, University of Cambridge, in 1971.

Inscription

‘L. OERTLING LONDON’ (inside of hinge on each box)

Description Notes

1411.1 Wooden box with brass hinges and hook fasteners; ivory label marked ‘OZ: TROY’. Lined with black velvet. Cylindrical holes to accommodate (?) stainless steel weights for 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 Troy oz, and then 7 smaller weights marked with symbols for drachms and scruples. A glass cover is set over a further seven smaller weights. A space at the front of the box accommodates a pair of brass tweezers for manipulating the smallest weights.
1412.1 As 1411.1 except ivory label is marked ‘TROY’; tweezers are steel with ivory points. Also a paper label inside lid with the typed words ‘1 oz TROY = 31.11 grams’. Paper label on outside: ‘REPLACE WEIGHTS CAREFULLY AFTER USE.’

1411.1 contains a paper with conversion between various different types of weight.

Condition good; complete.

References

Events