W&T Avery pair of "stands" - help please with identifying.

[bernerkelsey]

I have 2 cast iron items and I’m trying to figure out what they originally were used for?

They are very similar, but one does not have the hinged piece at the top which looks original to me.

Both are marked W&T Avery. My mother acquired them from somewhere, but she has no idea what they were used for.

Fingers crossed some bright and helpful spark has an answer or suggestions for me. Thank you in advance.

 

[Vivienne14]

Given that Averys manufactured weighing scales, could they have been stands for a weighing device? Presumably, the base is very heavy so might be able to support a good weight ?

 

[Stokkie]

At school we were weighed using a steelyard. I saw these used for weighing fish and other items in the wholesale markets. I think you are missing the crossbar and weights to complete a set of scales?

 

[Stokkie]

Pictures from Facebook collectors group.

 

[Vivienne14]

Going along on that theme, given the size and industrial appearance, perhaps they were for weighing bulky items like sacks, parcels etc ?

 

[Morturn]

They are the center post of some Avery Merchant or Balance scales

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[Stokkie]

They are the center post of some Avery Merchant or Balance scales

View attachment 216347

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Yes, that's it!

 

[pjmburns]

View attachment 216345
Pictures from Facebook collectors group.

Those are like the weights on my Mom's scales when I first helped her bake.

 

[RobT]

Centre post for these Avery scales?

 

[Vivienne14]

Not as big as I thought !!!

 

[bernerkelsey]

At school we were weighed using a steelyard. I saw these used for weighing fish and other items in the wholesale markets. I think you are missing the crossbar and weights to complete a set of scales?
View attachment 216343

Sounds like a likely option. Now looking for a picture .... thank you. I don't ever remember being weighed at school.

 

[bernerkelsey]

Centre post for these Avery scales?

View attachment 216349

Wow! That looks identical to one of the posts. The one with an angular hinged section is a puzzle. Maybe just a different type of scale. Thank you so much!

 

[bernerkelsey]

Not as big as I thought !!!

60 cms high which made me think they were table top size.

 

[Stokkie]

Sounds like a likely option. Now looking for a picture .... thank you. I don't ever remember being weighed at school.

Averys made lots of scales over the years. I now agree with Morturn, these are Merchants or Balance scales. post 6. You are missing the weights, pans and crossbeam. These might have been made of brass? The weights go in the round pan and the stuff to be weighed in the other pan.

 

[pjmburns]

The weights were kept on a small vertical pole. The slot was so weights could be slid off the pole at any point.
I used to play with the set my Mom had arranging them heaviest at the bottom to lightest at the top.
I think my Mom's scales had a stainless steel pan

 

[bernerkelsey]

Just a quick follow-up and thank you to everyone who helped identify the cast iron stands I posted about a while back.


Thanks to the suggestions and photos shared here, it became clear they were the centre posts from an old W&T Avery merchant/balance scale. That piece of information unlocked the whole mystery.


I thought some of you might like to see what eventually became of one of them. My husband, Leigh, restored the stand and used it as the base for a light using a vintage theatre spotlight.


You can see the finished piece here:
https://leighkelsey.uk/the-avery-light/


It was a really enjoyable process and it wouldn’t have happened without the knowledge shared on this forum. Forums like this are an incredible resource — there’s so much specialist knowledge that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else.


Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reply and help solve the puzzle.