The weighing scale didn’t see any major technological improvements until the Industrial era. It is only in the late 18th Century that new ways to measure mass appeared, which didn’t rely on counter-weights. The spring scale was invented by Richard Salter, a British balance maker around 1770. The spring scale, as the name implies, measures the pressure (or the tension) exerted on a spring to deduce the weight of an object. Many Victorian high street establishments sold the majority of produce by weight whether this be flour from the baker, herbs from the apothecary, or fine silks for dressmaking. Spring scales, whilst more commonplace in a shop setting, would also find use in larger manor houses used to measure produce and parcels for posting.  
 
This is a brass and steel spring scale of simple design complete with a steel hook for suspending produce, parcels, or luggage to be weighed.  
 
Dimensions: 25cm long x 2cm diameter