the smallest
COLUMBUS
letter scale

This is the smallest Columbus letter scale made by Philipp Jakob Maul from Hamburg, Germany. It does not yet bear the Maul logo, only the designation D.R.P., which is the abbreviation for Deutsches Reich Patent. The COLUMBUS by Ph. J. Maul appears to be described in the Deutsches Reich Patentschrift with DRP number 167192. It was granted by the Kaiserliches Patentamt and is registered in the name of AUTOMAT Aktien-Gesellschaft in Berlin. The design was patented as of September 16, 1904. The patent was not made public until January 30, 1906. This smallest Columbus appears in the 1909 catalog and also in Ph.J. Maul's Export catalog from the 1910s. Two versions were offered. In addition to the version shown here with a black lacquered frame and base and a nickel-plated iron mechanism, Ph.J. Maul also supplied a version with a green lacquered frame and base, with the model name and decorative lines in gold. Its mechanism is also made of nickel-plated iron. This Columbus letter scale was available with the following units of measurement: 60 grams, 2½ ounces, and 6 Lot. There is also a slightly larger version with a weighing range of 100 grams, or 4 ounces, or 8 Lot.
The smallest Columbus letter scale is 102 millimeters high. The base, measured across the support feet, is 73 x 45 mm. The letter plate is 52 mm round.
A more recent version of this small scale on an inkstand was previously shown on this website, see here.
Below are some more images of the smallest Columbus by Philipp Jakob Maul.