18th Century German Coin Scale in Wooden Case For Sale

This is an 18th-century German portable coin scale (Munzwaage or Geldwaage) in its original fitted wooden box.

Function and Context

Before standardized machine-minted currency, gold and silver coins were routinely clipped or shaved by traders to steal precious metal, or varied in purity across regions. Merchants carried sets like this to weigh individual coins against standard brass weights to verify their authenticity and intrinsic value before accepting them in payment.

Specific Details from the Label & Box

• Maker: The printed label inside the lid names Johann Peter Braselmann (Joh. Pet. Braselmann), a noted scale maker located in Wichlinghausen in Oberbarmen (part of modern-day Wuppertal, Germany).
• Date: The label includes a printed \"178\" with handwritten space for the final digit, dating it to the 1780s.
• Text Translation:\"Scales and weights made by the graciously privileged, examined, and sworn scale-maker to His Electorate Highness of the Palatinate, Joh. Pet. Braselmann...
• Compartments & Weights: The small square brass pieces stored in the red-inked compartments are coin weights labeled for specific historical currencies such as the Ducat (Ducat), Pistole (Pistol), Severin, and Carliner. The circular central cutout holds the balance beam and brass pans when packed.
• Size - 5\" x 2.5\" x 1.25\"
• No Returns