SETTEN & DURWARD
letter scale

maker: Setten & Durward, Birmingham, England bruine lijn

Setten & Durward letter scale

This letter scale was supplied by Setten & Durward from Birmingham in England. There is no name or logo on it. Robert Setten and Francis Durward started a wholesale business in office supplies in 1877. On the internet you can find advertisements for their products in wood or tin, letter storage systems, ink sets, pen holders and pens, rulers, rubber bands, calendars, paper clips, drawing pens and other drawing materials. Letter scales were not mentioned in those advertisements. The company had offices in Birmingham, London and Brussels.
The shape of the fixed cast iron frame is special. The design of the weights is also special. They are made of cast iron with a wider top, and may or may not be covered with a brass top layer, see the photos further down this page. The letter scale shown here has four weights: 8 ounces, 4 ounces, 2 ounces and a ½ ounce respectively. Most likely the 1 ounce weight and a slightly differently shaped specimen of again half an ounce are missing. The wooden base stands on four

back of the letter scale

rounded feet. The base plate is 21.5 x 13.9 centimeters. The weight plate is 6 cm round, the letter plate is 8.2 x 6.9 cm.
Below are some more images of the Setten & Durward letter scale.

side view

animation: place the weights in front of the letter scale
[move the pointer over the photo]

side view

the vertical stand with the semi-circular shape	the characteristic shape of the fixed frame	the vertical stand with the semi-circular shape
diagonally from above	from the front	from above
the cast iron weights have a thin brass top	the brass top of the weights	the bottom of the weights is not flat
the eight ounces top	the eight ounces from the side	the eight ounces bottom
the four ounces top	the four ounces from the side	the four ounces bottom
the two ounces top	the two ounces from the side	the two ounces bottom
the half ounce top	the half ounce from the side	the half ounce bottom
the stacked weights	the four weights present, a weight of one ounce is unfortunately missing	the stacked weights
diagonally from the front	the base plate rests on four round feet	diagonally from the back