U.S. Standard Weights

Object Details

United States Office of Weights and Measures

Description: These cylindrical brass weights are part of a set of standards prepared by the United States government. They weigh one pound Troy, one pound, two pounds, three pounds, four pounds, five pounds, ten pounds, and twenty pounds. A knob at the top of each weight makes it easier to lift. The set also includes a weight lifter.; All the knobs are stamped with an image of an American eagle. Those in this set, except for the Troy weight, are marked: 69. A mark on the knob for the Troy weight reads: 9.; The weights fit into cavities in a velvet-lined wooden case. The amount of each weight is indicated on a paper tag attached to the base of the corresponding cavity.; The United States government began distributing weights to the states in about 1845. When these weights were transferred to the Smithsonian from the Bureau of Standards in 1929, correspondence in the files suggests that they were of the type distributed before the Civil War.; Reference:; Accession File.
Location: Currently not on view

ca 1850

Physical Description: brass (overall material); wood (overall material)
Measurements: 2 lb. weight: 2 1/16 in x 2 1/16 in; 5.23875 cm x 5.23875 cm; 2 lb. weight knob: 5/8 in; 1.5875 cm; troy weight: 1 1/2 in x 1 1/2 in; 3.81 cm x 3.81 cm; 1 lb. weight knob: 7/16 in; 1.11125 cm; troy weight knob: 1/2 in; 1.27 cm; 1 lb. weight: 1 5/8 in x 1 5/8 in; 4.1275 cm x 4.1275 cm; overall in case: 9 1/4 in x 11 1/8 in x 17 1/2 in; 23.495 cm x 28.2575 cm x 44.45 cm

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Chemistry; Metric System; Measuring & Mapping

National Museum of American History

GUID (Link to Original Record): https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-4b4a-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa