brass letter scale Narcisse Briais
This is a pretty old letter scale from France. This scale model can be seen on a product poster from June 1891. The same scale model can be found with a scale showing the value 7½ is indicated separately, this version is probably from before 1862. It is a design by Narcisse-Eugène Briais from Paris, usually more briefly called Narcisse Briais. Narcisse Briais was an instrument maker who manufactured letter scales and balances between 1859 and 1886. The NB logo, the trademark of Narcisse Briais, is on the letter scale. This N.B. logo would have been introduced from 1876. After 1886 G. Restorf took over the company and continued to use the N.B. logo. Restorf closed the business in 1914. After that, M. Ducos from 1915-1926 and from 1927-1931 by M. Guérin still used the N.B.logo on letter scales. (Source: Le Système métrique 1997-3, page 1124). The brass base of this letter scale is the biggest difference with this Briais with wooden base. Letter scales by Narcisse Briais, or his successors, have been shown before, see for example the photographic letter scale, the Loth scale, the herbs & powder scale, the small déposé scale and the oldest Briais letter scale.
The letter scale shown here is 22 centimeters high, the base diameter is 10.2 cm and the diameter of the letter tray is 6.3 cm. The weighing range is 100 grams. The measurement unit grams is indicated on the scale with the capital letter G.
There are also models with a weighing range up to 60 grams and up to 300 grams.
Below some more pictures of this Briais letter scale.
back of the letter scale
