Apothecary Bronze / Brass Bucket or Nesting Weights, European, 18- 19th Century

A set of six (one missing) bronze / brass apothecary nesting weights. The weights are 224g, 112g, 56g, 28g, 14g and 4g. The British Troy 1oz weighed 31g, so this may have been made for Italy, where 1oz weighed 28g.

The set is in very good condition. The latch grips firmly. The set is unmarked.

The idea of nesting weights dates back to Roman times, but was developed during the seventeenth century in the Imperial Free City of Nuremberg, an important trading centre in the south of Germany. They were primarily used by merchants to weigh against coins. For some time, the Nuremberg guild of cooper-masters held a monopoly over the world‘s production of these weights and made nesting weight pieces to various European standards.