Columbus letter scale Ph.J. Maul, Germany
A lot of letter scales with named Columbus, Columbus Bilateral, Original Columbus Bilateral have already been shown. They have a rectangular or a round base made of sheet metal. Or stand on a cast iron base. More luxurious versions on a black glass base plate with or without four decorative brass feet. Yet this letter scale is slightly different in details. The weighing ranges are 250 and 1000 grams. Previously shown models with a cast iron base plate are these lighter ones 100g/500g, the heavier 1000g/6000g and the heaviest 2000g/10000g. The layout of the base plate of the heavier versions is somewhat simpler. On the chart under the abbreviation D.R.P. is an indication referring to use in France: Déposé S.G.D.G. I have never seen this indication on a Columbus scale before. Below this is engraved Oest Ung. Pat. 25487. D.R.P. means Deutsches Reich Patent, a German patent has been granted, with number DE167192. Déposé designates legal protection in French, S.G.D.G. is the abbreviation for Sans Garantie Du Gouvernement, which means that there is no government guarantee of accuracy. I see this detail for delivery to France for the first time on one of my Columbus scales. Oest Ung. Pat. 25487 is the abbreviation for Österreichische Ungarische Patent 25487. This patent can be found as an Austrian patent with number AT25487 from August 1906 and is very similar to the German patent DE167192. The Imperial-Royal Austrian-Hungarian patent number has already been shown, see this luxury Columbus, albeit that the Hungarian connection is not made there. GES. GESCH. is written on the letter plate, an abbreviation for GESETZLICH GESCHÜTZT, a legal protection would have been obtained on the model of the letter plate. This plate model is already in the Ph.J. Maul catalog of 1909.
Below some more pictures of the Columbus letter scale.
back of the Columbus letter scale
