GEM Post Wage intended for use in Germany
This letter scale is unmistakably a GEM postal scale made by Triner Scale & Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The text on the scale is special: GEM POST WAGE. This looks like a literal translation into German of GEM POSTAL SCALE. Before 1927 WAGE and WAAGE were used in German. In German you actually write Post and Wage together, so without a space: POSTWAGE. From 1927 only WAAGE was allowed to be used for scale. Strange is the spelling of GRAM, it should be GRAMM in German. GARANTIRT ACCURAT should be in good German GARANTIERT AKKURAT. Perhaps it was the correct spelling around 1905-1910?
The scale has a stripe of measure per ten grams. Every 20 grams there are numbers on the scale, 20, 40, 60, and so on. The weighing range is 500 grams. The scale is 11.4 centimeters high. The spring can be adjusted with a rotary knob, and with this the pointer can be set exactly to zero.
On top of the spring housing of the scale is the patent date February 23, 1904. That patent has number US752874. The patent was already applied for on June 22, 1901. The scale described in the patent is significantly more complicated, that scale has a switch to switch a heavier spring on or off, see the patent figure below.
Previously A GEM postal scale intended for use in America was shown, see this GEM letter scale. That GEM also has copper-colored stripes on the scale parts, oxidized copper, I don't know what function these stripes have.
More information on the history of the GEM Postal Scale can be found at American Stationer, the website made by Frank Parsons at The Gem Postal Scale.
Below some more images of this special GEM POST WAGE.
back of the GEM Post Wage
