Need help dating antique cast iron weight

[eugene.e.bay]

Can anyone help me figure out how old this is, what it might be worth, anything?  Thank you

 

 

[melda58]

@eugene.e.bay On the off chance that the letters might be helpful, can you tell us what they are?  - a bit hard to read in the photo.

Rita

[sonomabarn67]

A horse weight?

[mmadigan]

AI told me a horse weight was ca 930 pounds.  The item must be made from a new element to be that dense.😀

[orphie1402]

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-vintage-set-six-french-cast-831871403

[melda58]

Ah so the letters say Hectog.  Look like OP has the next to heaviest one.

Rita

[melda58]

Or maybe not.

Rita

[sonomabarn67]

But what are they for?

[lacemaker3]

It looks to me like the letters say "2 HECTOG", so that would be 2 hectograms, or 200 grams. The larger ones would say KILOG, for kilograms.

According to this (sold out) listing, these weights were used "for Roberval-type scales".

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1698867853/6-antique-french-cast-iron-weights?show_sold_out_detail=1&re...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberval_balance

[sonomabarn67]

But what are they specifically used for? Commerce? Hog auctions? Why the ring?

[sonomabarn67]

My responses are directed at the "anything?" portion of OP's post.

[lacemaker3]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

But what are they specifically used for? Commerce? Hog auctions? Why the ring?

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Well, it weighs 200 grams, or 7.05 ounces, slightly less than half a pound. The set of 6 weights of graduated sizes, which was linked above, ranges from 50 to 2,000 grams, or 1.76 ounces to 4.4 pounds. So they would have been used to weigh things, that were fairly large. The total weight for the whole set was 3,850 grams, or 8.49 pounds. Probably commercial. The rings would have made it easier to handle and pick up the weights.

I don't think they have anything to do with horses or hogs.