P. S. & W. Co. cotton scale beam

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A pea scale, also known as a cotton scale, balance scale, or a steelyard balance. At one end of the scale is a J shaped hook for hanging a sack of cotton. On the other end of the scale are weight measurement markings and notches at the top for holding the weights in place. They scale has twenty notches between each number with deeper notches every four notches. One side of the scale is marked [5], [10], [15], [20], [25], and [30] from left to right. There is also white, hand painted text near the first notch that reads [R505]. Near the J shaped hook is a stamped manufacturer's mark that reads [P.S. & W. Co] The other side is marked [+], [20], [+], [40], [+], [60], [+], [80], [+], [100], [+], and [120] from right to left. There is a round hole near the edge of the notched side of the scale.

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