SCHÜTTE & PÖPPE
HANNOVERA
letter scale

maker: Schütte & Pöppe, Hannover-Linden, Germany bruine lijn

letter scale Schütte & Pöppe

This letter scale came badly battered in my possession. A weighing dish or letter plate is missing. The dial has accumulated a lot of cracks and small parts of the enamel are gone. The pointer is bent. The cast iron housing also appears to have been broken and repaired. The green paint is applied over the repair.I do not know whether the scale originally was green. On the dial the holes for the screws became too large for both screw heads, the heads of the screws pass through the holes and securing the dial with these screws does not work anymore. One of the two tension springs of the scale mechanism is missing. I made a weighing dish and repaired and completed the dial with enamel paint. I have reduced the size of the screw holes by gluing a brass plate to the back side of the dial. I placed a replacement spring and oriented and adapted the pointer. For the time being I have postponed a further refinement of the repair. The model of this letter scale can be found in scales of Emil übrig from Berlin and George Salter & Co. from West Bromwich, England.
The most interesting of this letter scale is the dial on which the postal rates for despatch of letters, printed matter and samples within Germany and for German post to the countries united in the Weltpostverein (Wereld Post Vereniging, Union Postale Universelle, Universal Postal Union). Acording to the book Michel Postgebühren-Handbuch Deutschland (translated: Michel Postal rates-Handbook Germany) the domestic letter rate for Germany was valid from April 1, 1900 to August 1, 1916. The domestic tariff for printed matter (= Drucksachen) was valid from June 1, 1890 to October 1, 1918.The domestic rate for samples (= Waarenproben) was valid from April 1, 1900 to July 1, 1906. This letter scale can therefore be dated to the very short period of April 1, 1900 to July 1, 1906.

back of the letter scale

I tracked down the logo with the horse on the internet, I found it in the letterhead of an invoice of January, 16 1909 of Schütte & Pöppe, Fabrik hauswirtschaftl. Machines, from Hannover-Linden in Germany. This company was founded in 1890. I do not know whether the horse of this logo is a thoroughbred horse, a true Hanoverian. The brand name Hannovera is printed in red on this invoice, it is not on my letter scale. In the documentation database of Ritzo Holtman about weighing scales Hannovera is a brand mentioned in a pricelist of Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Deutscher Waagen- und Gerätefabriken WIDEWAG G.m.b.H. from Hannover. In this price list from 1930 is the same logo with the horse on top of the text FABRIK=MARKE. In a price list from 1934, the same logo with the horse above the text FABRIK=MARKE, however the factory name is now changed to Hannovera Waagen- und Maschinenfabrik GmbH from Hannover-Linden. Below some pictures of the old battered letter scale and the letterhead of Schütte & Pöppe.