English apothecary brass weight set · c. 1890
Complete apothecary set, one dram to one grain, in a fitted mahogany block. Reads within tolerance across the range.
- SKU
- MS-SC-1010
- Era
- Pre-1900
- Condition
- Complete set, all weights within tolerance, mahogany block re-lined 2019
- Dimensions
- Block 5" × 3" × 1.25"
- Weight
- 9 oz complete
- Provenance
- From a Somerset village pharmacy that closed in 2018 after four generations
- Category
- Scientific Instruments
- Tags
- apothecaryweightsbrasspharmacyvictorian
A complete English apothecary weight set of turned brass, circa 1890, ranging from one dram down to a single grain, in a fitted mahogany block with a slide-off lid. Twelve pieces in all, each stamped with its value in the pre-decimal apothecary system familiar to any dispensing chemist before the 1971 changeover.
All twelve have been checked on a modern precision balance and fall within their historical tolerance — the two-scruple weight is the outlier at +2%, which is well inside period specification. The half-grain and grain flats are the usual bent brass tabs, and both are present.
The mahogany block was re-lined in 2019 with acid-free green baize; the exterior retains its original wax finish and the mellow bruises of a hundred and thirty years on a pharmacist's bench.
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