postal balance, maker Edmund Ratcliff
This postal scale comes from E. Ratcliff from Birmingham in England. The full name is Edmund Ratcliff, the brother of Joseph Ratcliff. The brothers Joseph and Edmund Ratcliff had a firm together, established in Birmingham. The Ratcliff brothers are already in the trade register of 1834. In 1862 Joseph died and Edmund continued alone until 1881. (Source: EQM 1, 1982, Brian Brass). This balance only shows the name of Edmund Ratcliff and therefore the probable production period is 1862-1881. The four weights in the photos are matching, but not the originals. Presumably smaller weight values are missing. The values are 8 oz 3D, 4 oz 2D, 2 oz 1½D, 1 oz 1D. These English letter rates were valid from October 5, 1871 to June 22, 1897. The balance appears to be composed of parts from different manufacturers. The central frame with the characteristic large circle and the two small circles has been shown before, see here. The large circle has an upward pointing small triangle at the bottom, which indicates that a pointer is aimed at it when in equilibrium,
back of the postal balance
