Colonial Acres Coins
SKU: SKU:Oct.Week2.P1-KB2934
Lot of 4x Great Britain 18th Century George III Brass Coinweights, 4pcs
Lot of 4x Great Britain 18th Century George III Brass Coinweights, 4pcs
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Lot of 4x Great Britain 18th Century George III Brass Coinweights, 4pcs
For as long as there's been money, there's been counterfeiting, cheating, and swindling. For thousands of years and across hundreds of cultures, the first line of defence against such scam-artistry was the humble coinweight. Usually made from brass, bronze, or lead, coinweights were calibrated to weigh precisely the same as specific coin denominations. A merchant would place a coinweight on one side of a pan balance scale, and the coin in question on the other. If the weight matched, it was probably genuine. If the coin weighed too little, it had probably been shaved or clipped or, worse, was entirely counterfeit.
These British coinweights date to the reign of George III (r.1760-1820). It was common for coinweights to bear some symbol of royal authority, and three of the four show the king's cypher. One is dated 1772. The reverse sides identify the coinage that the coinweight was meant to verify: inscriptions read "D G" (Dei Gratia, "By the Grace of God") followed by a pair of numbers. 5:8 (5 pennyweights and 8 grains) was the weight of a gold Guinea, 2:14 was a half-Guinea, and so on.
For as long as there's been money, there's been counterfeiting, cheating, and swindling. For thousands of years and across hundreds of cultures, the first line of defence against such scam-artistry was the humble coinweight. Usually made from brass, bronze, or lead, coinweights were calibrated to weigh precisely the same as specific coin denominations. A merchant would place a coinweight on one side of a pan balance scale, and the coin in question on the other. If the weight matched, it was probably genuine. If the coin weighed too little, it had probably been shaved or clipped or, worse, was entirely counterfeit.
These British coinweights date to the reign of George III (r.1760-1820). It was common for coinweights to bear some symbol of royal authority, and three of the four show the king's cypher. One is dated 1772. The reverse sides identify the coinage that the coinweight was meant to verify: inscriptions read "D G" (Dei Gratia, "By the Grace of God") followed by a pair of numbers. 5:8 (5 pennyweights and 8 grains) was the weight of a gold Guinea, 2:14 was a half-Guinea, and so on.
