Description
Material: Base metal. probably lead
Period: Late medieval
Date: 13th-14th century AD
Origin: Britain
Condition: AVF. good detail for a utilitarian item
Description: A shield-shaped trade weight detailed in relief with the lions of the English arms. hole to top for attachment to a balance or storage area.
Size and Weight: 62mm x 42mm. 219g (this roughly equates to 8oz or 1/2 an English pound in weight)
References: N Biggs. English weights. p42. N Mills. Medieval Artefacts p78 for type.
Features and Provenance: Medieval trade weights were usually made of lead with a flat underside and hole to the top. as does our example. The hole was used to attach to a hand held metal scale and the weights came in the size of pound. half-pound. quarter and eight of a pound using the Avoirdupois system that was employed from 1390 in England. This weight is pretty close to its required heft. but many unscrupulous tradesman would lighten or increase the weight of their scales for their unsuspecting customers. Regulation was introduced later by stamping with the kings crown. but of course there were various ways around this. The Grocers guild was one of the first to try to regulate its weights and later copper was used which was more accurate and could be more strictly controlled.
Condition Summary. This varies with the age of the artefact and there are grades between
Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear. all parts of pattern etc present. visible and clear
Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of pattern etc present. but may be worn
Fine (F). Wear on the artefact and parts of item and pattern etc may be missing or not visible
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