ARTIFACT IMAGE
Scale, balance Item Info
Click to view full screen
- Title:
- Scale, balance
- Date:
- 18th century
- Marks/Inscriptions :
- Sterling mark on the weights
- Geographies:
- Pennsylvania;England;Spain;France
- Material:
- metal, twine
- Provenance:
- Acquired from Frances Richardson in 1964.
- Material History:
- Scales of this type were used to verify international coins before the United States of America had a stable currency system of its own.
- Quaker connection:
- Belonged to Frances Richardson
- Object Story, Consumption and Use:
- The use of scales to measure precious metals dates back to at least Medieval times. Originally used by apothecaries to measure herbs and payments, this specific scale was made to verify the weight of coins, ensuring they were not counterfeit. There is a conversion chart on the inside of the box lid, for conversions to English, French, and Spanish coins of various types. This scale was used in the eighteenth century, before the economic system of the United States had stabilized. Before the United States dollar became standard, the United States used promissory notes or European currencies, though these fluctuated in value and were subject to counterfeiting. Also in the box is a set of weights usable to verify English coins, which suggest that this scale was often used for that specific purpose. The needle at the center of this scale, which would ordinarily stand vertically when the scale was balanced, is crooked and lists slightly to one side. This imperfection may have been what prompted the scale’s owner to stop using it. In 1870, an international gold standard was established so that the value of currency would remain consistent. This could have cemented the scale’s outdated status and confirmed the decision to stop using it, as international trade stabilized considerably after this point. This scale is representative of a newly-minted international trade network, one that was, at the time of the scale’s use, relatively unreliable and required personal monitoring to maintain.
- Type:
- Image;StillImage
- Format:
- image/jpg
- Accession Number:
- SC-FHL-R-0105
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- "Scale, balance", From Local to Global - Consumption and the Quaker Body, Swarthmore College, https://swat-ds.github.io/material-culture/material-culture/items/mc014.html