base: 19 in x 7 in x 18 in; 48.26 cm x 17.78 cm x 45.72 cm
overall: 19 1/4 in x 22 in x 9 in; 48.895 cm x 55.88 cm x 22.86 cm
Object Name:
Scale
Object Type:
Scales
Place made:
United States: Ohio, Columbus
Date made:
1938
Description:
Rugged balance with a chrome finish, designed for commercial and industrial purposes. The inscription on the front reads “THE EXACT WEIGHT SCALE CO., COLUMBUS, O. / ‘EXACT WEIGHT’ / MADE IN U.S.A. / U.S. PAT. NOS. NOV-8-1921 FEB-7-1922 / 1694442 / STYLE 8000.” That on the back reads “EXACT WEIGHT / SCALE CO. / COLUMBUS, OHIO, U.S.A.” The scale reads “EXACT WEIGHT” and over/under up to two ounces. There are two 1 pound cylindrical weights.
The Smith Scale Company, of Columbus, Ohio, was established in 1916, to manufacture scales and balances designed by Walter Standish Smith (1877-1940). By 1930 the firm had become the Exact Weight Scale Co. That firm presented this example to the Smithsonian in 1935. The bottom is sectioned so that the mechanism can be seen.
Ref: Walter S. Smith, “Weighing Scale,” U.S. Patent 1,396,668 (Nov. 8, 1921), assigned to the Smith Scale Company.
Walter S. Smith, “Scale,” U.S. Patent 1,405,634 (Feb. 7, 1922), assigned to the Smith Scale Company.