letter scale, maker Narcisse Briais, France
This is a pretty old letter scale from France. On the measuring scale, the values 7½, 22½, and 37½ are indicated separately. The letter weight limit of 7½ grams was used in France until January 1, 1862. This version is therefore probably from before 1862. Only in the mail traffic between France and Great Britain (from 1833) and between France and Prussia (from 1837) the tariff per 7½ grams was still used until 1875 and the letter post weight limits 7½, 15, 22½, 30, and 37½ were valid.
It is a design by Narcisse-Eugène Briais from Paris, usually called shorter Narcisse Briais. The NB logo, the logo of Narcisse Briais, is already on this letter scale. Narcisse Briais was a French instrument maker who produced letter scales and balances between 1859 and 1886. The N.B. logo was introduced from 1876 onwards. (I doubt this, it's probably applied before 1862). After 1886 G. Restorf took over the company and continued to apply the N.B. logo. In 1914 Restorf discontinued the company. After this M. Ducos used the logo N.B. on his letter scales in the period 1915-1926 and from 1927-1931 M. Guérin continued to apply the N.B. logo still on letter scales (source: Le Système métrique 1997-3, page 1124). This complicates a precise date, it can be at its largest between 1876 and 1931.
From Narcisse Briais, or from his successors, letter scales have been shown already, see for example the photographic scale, the Loth letter scale, the herbs & powder scale, the déposé letter scale, the oldest Briais letter scale and this Briais letter scale.
There is also DÉPOSÉ under the logo on the scale: the design would have been registered.
The letter scale shown here is 16.3 centimeters high, the base diameter is 5.2 cm. The weighing range is 50 grams. The weighing unit gram is indicated on the scale between 5 and 10 grams with the letter G. The shape of the moving part with the measuring scale is largely the same as the measuring part of this scale. Previously an equal letter scale from an unknown maker was shown, see here, only the weighing range is different and the scale is standing on a wooden base.
Below some more images of this Briais letter scale.
back of the letter scale
