Identifying weights

Standardised mass, marked.

Coin-weights, steelyard weights, and commercial weights carry marks, denominations, or verification stamps. Their mass is the key datum — weigh accurately, in grams, before anything else.

Coin-weights were made to check specific coins against clipping and forgery: a square brass weight stamped with a hand or a crown was minding a particular gold coin, and matching weight to coin dates both.

Official verification stamps — crowned initials, borough marks, later “ounce” and metric marks — record inspection and place a weight in a legal system as well as a century.

Corrosion and damage change mass, so note condition alongside the figure. A weight light by exactly a clipping’s worth is telling its own story; record the mass and let it speak.

From the guide library inside Collectors Catalogues, a free app for cataloguing antiques and finds with honest, museum-grade records.

More on metalwork

Identifying harness and horse fittings — Pendants, mounts, and buckles.

Identifying keys and locks — Bit, bow, and stem.

Identifying pins and needles — Head form and point.

Identifying mounts and fittings — Rivets, solder, and back.

Identifying buckles — The commonest metal-detecting find after coins — and surprisingly datable.

Identifying strap ends — The decorated tips of belts and straps, from Roman to Tudor.

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