Iron weight

[5kazam]

This one has bugged me for years - what exactly would it have been used for.  I've always referred to it a 'wheat weight'.

It is stamped '26 IMPERIAL STANDARD' and is dated 1826.

Guess I'd also like to find out if it is worth anything!!

[siddieswans]

1826 is the year the Imperial Standard of weights was implemented (1 January.)

I would have thought that somewhere would be a weight in lbs?

26 is a bit of a poser - more likely would have been 56 lbs - half a hundredweight, or even 28 lbs - a quarter of a hundredweight. 20 cwts (hundredweights) to the Imperial ton (2240 lbs) (still learned that when I went to school.)

Don't suppose you could weigh it????? Could have been used for anything that normally came in those weights - according to answers.com a wheat bag traditionally weighed 1 cwt (112 lbs.)  Potatoes?

Nowadays I suppose it would make a handy doorstop. It is a Men's Shed sort of thing - if you look at completed  "cast iron weight" in Antiques you will see they are quite hard to sell - and of course pick-up only.

[5kazam]

Just put a bit of moisture on the '26' and you are correct - it is 28.  It weighs in at 28lbs.

I also learned those things at school - but as it was such a LONG time ago......

And it does make a very good door stop.  That's what it has been used for, except for when it has been used to make sure two pieces of whatever stick together when glued.  

Thanks for the info.

[leatherland1]

Hi,

    my best thought is that the object is a "Tare" weight, that is used on large platform scales.

These scales weigh heavy items, somtimes up to hundreds of pounds, depending on the capacity of the scales.

For instance, if the scales capacity was 150 pounds, and the object being weighed was higher than this, the tare weight was placed on the "Tare" bar and then the scale was able to weigh an extra 28 pounds.

You then read what is registered as  the weight,  EG. 140 pounds,   and then you add the "tare weight" of 28 pounds.

and that will give you the weight of 168 pounds, while only using a scale with a capacity of 150 pounds.

I have used this type of scale, and used a variety of Tare" weights, however the ones I had were of a different shape.

I hope this is helpful, and I hope I am correct.

Regards, John.

[5kazam]

Thanks for that John. I'm certainly on a learning curve about weights, and finding this very interesting.

Rhonda