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A Set of Victorian Brass Letter Scales. These are postal balances made of brass and mahogany. This balance is signed 'Waterlow Bros. & Layton, London'. It was constructed on the Roberval principle which employs double upper and single lower crossbeams. There are two rectangular platforms one for letters (which has a small crack) and one for weights. A pointer indicates an equilibrium when the crossbeams are in horizontal position. The size of the base is 36 X 18 cm (14.1 x 7 inches) and the height is 14 cm (5.5 inches). The Waterlow company was opened in 1810 by James Waterlow selling copies of legal documents produced by lithography. In 1877 the eldest son Alfred, his sons, and Alfred Thomas Layton formed Waterlow Bros. & Layton. This company is most famous for printing stamps, bonds and bank notes. It appears that this scale was made for them to use at their shop on Birchin Lane. |
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