Chinese Gold Scale

Description:

This portable scale was made by Chen Shengtai in Guangdong Province, China, during the mid-1800s. The California gold rush prompted thousands of Chinese laborers to seek their fortune, and many brought their own weights and scales with them. This scale is a steelyard-type balance that uses a pivot point and counterweight moved along the arm on the arm to weigh the substance on the pan. It consists of a rod marked with several weight points, several pivot points to hold on to, a counterweight to move along the rod, and a pan attached to the rod with four strings. The scale could be disassembled and stored inside a small, wooden, paddle-shaped case.

Date Made: 1840 - 1860

Place Made: ChinaLocation Where Used: United States: California

See more items in: Work and Industry: Occupations, Cultures & Communities, Work, American Enterprise

Exhibition: American Enterprise

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: CL.65.1373Accession Number: 280280Catalog Number: 65.1373

Object Name: scale, gold

Physical Description: fiber (overall material)ink (overall material)ivory (overall material)brass (overall material)Measurements: overall-case: 15 in x 3 in x 1 1/4 in; 38.1 cm x 7.62 cm x 3.175 cmoverall-scale: 14 in x 1/4 in; 35.56 cm x .635 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a4-e644-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_676082

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