Chatillon 8 oz. Letter Balance

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Chatillon & Sons Inc. created this eight ounce letter balance scale. The company, founded in 1835, produced a number of precision springs for postal weight scales.

Scales became fixtures in post offices in the mid-19th century when postal officials tied postage rates to the weight of the mail. Clerks and postmasters measured letters and packages to ensure customers were charged the right amount of postage. Many customers bought scales to weigh mail before going to the post office.

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