Salter Public Weighing Scale

c. 1900
Subcollections
Overview

The Salter Public Weighing Scale No 308 was manufactured by G Salter & Co from West Bromwich in the United Kingdom and were distributed in Australian and New Zealand by the Australasian Automatic Weighing Machine Company.

Historical information

Established in 1760, Salter developed precision products for over 260 years that spanned a wide range of core product categories, including scales, electricals, cookware and countertop. It is a market leader in kitchen and bathroom scales and one of the UK’s oldest consumer brands.

The firm began life in the late 1760s in the village of Bilston, England when Richard Salter, a spring maker, began making the first spring scales in Britain. He called these scales "pocket steelyards", though they work on a different principle from steelyard balances.

By 1825 his nephew George had taken over the company, which became known as George Salter & Co. George later established a manufacturing site in the town of West Bromwich, about 4 miles (7 km) from Bilston.

The business thrived throughout the 1900s, and by 1950 it employed over 2000 people, still in the same area and owned by the same family.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-124-2023.82
Item type
Material
Width
700 mm
Height or length
1800 mm
Depth
800 mm
Weight
200 kg
Inscriptions and markings

"308"

"AUSTRALASIAN AUTOMATIC WEIGHING CO LD"

Contextual Information

Machines like the Salter Public Weighing Scale once sat in train stations around the world, as well as post offices, shopping centres and other public locations. For a penny, anyone could stand on the machine and measure their weight. As many people didn't have household scales, they would insert a penny, step on the scales and see how much they weighed. The scales revealed the weight in pounds and ounces.

The machine weighs about 200 kg and according to the late coin-machine historian and author Dick Bueschel, the "very elaborate nickel-plated cast-iron cabinets”, were in fashion by the early twentieth century and a popular attraction for families. In Antiques Weekly he wrote "Men and women and children rushed to get weighed and watch the mechanism whirl and spin a pointer to indicate their weight on a large round dial.”

These scales were installed at the current Busselton Post Office on the corner of Prince and Stanley Streets. This site was chosen for the Post and Telegraph Office in 1897 due its proximity to the Railway Station and the building was completed in 1898. It is unknown when the scales where installed here or how long they served the community before they found their way into the Museum collection.

Place made
West Bromwich
West Midlands
United Kingdom
Year
Primary significance criteria
Historic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Comparative significance criteria
Object’s condition or completeness
Related Objects

Related Objects

Busselton Historical Society

Busselton Historical Society

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Salter Public Weighing Scale
Salter Public Weighing Scale that was installed outside the Busselton Post Office
The Busselton Post and Telegraph Office 1916.
The Busselton Post and Telegraph Office with a bullock team in Prince Street Busselton 1916. Photo 0881 BHS Archive
Busselton Post and Telegraph Office in the 1920s
Busselton Post and Telegraph Office in the 1920s. Photo 4294 BHS Archive
1940s featuring the scales at the entrance
Busselton Post Office in the 1940s featuring the scales at the entrance. Photo 2354 BHS Archive

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