Historical information

This ornate, Victorian-era automatic weighing machine was made in England around 1884-1909, by George Salter and Co. of West Bromwich, UK, makers of scales since 1760. It is protected by Queen Victoria’s Royal Letters Patent, signed in 1900.

The scale stood outside the Warrnambool Post Office in Timor Street from around 1909 to 1966, as shown on postcards and photographs held at the State Library of Victoria. The scale is identified by the Serial Number '665', and was installed by the distributors, the Australasian Automatic Weighing Machine Co. Ltd.. The scale’s weight measurements were in Imperial stones and pounds up to 20 stone (127 kg). The scale’s face included charts of average weights, for men, women, boys and girls, by various heights, in feet and inches. The coin slot and its face were converted to metric measurements by the Eastern Scale Company Pty. Ltd; that firm was registered on October 2, 1974.

The Australasian Automatic Weighing Machine Co. Ltd was a large supplier of weighing scales in Australia and held the Royal Letters patent for their machines, distributing them in prominent locations. In 1902, the firm was listed under the Import Entries Passed at His Majesty’s Customs, importing into Sydney, NSW, eight cases of scales. In 1911, the company asked permission from the Port Pirie Corporation to install a machine in Alexander Street. In 1913, the company applied to the City of Sydney to install machines around the city, including at the tram depot. One application mentions “… three machines in three places for three pounds per year”. In 1923, the firm tendered for the right to place Automatic Weighing Machines on railway and tram premises throughout New South Wales, subsequently for five-year terms, in return for a fixed payment per machine and a portion of the revenue to the NSW Government. In 1928, the Sydney Harbour Trust gave the firm the right to place the weighing machines on various ferry jetties. The firm was still operating in 1941, advertising for two boys aged 14-16 for the workshop and messages, at the Rialto building, 497 Collins St., Melbourne. On December 21, 1946, the Commonwealth government invited offers to tender for the right to place automatic weighing machines on postal premises throughout the six states; the successful company then made arrangements with the federal Postmaster General's Department to place machines outside post offices across the country. A few years later, on September 11, 1950, the firm's Adelaide branch ceased trading. From 11th July 1950, the Australian and Eastern Engineering Company Pty. Ltd took over at the same premises, at 179 Pirie Street, Adelaide. The Perth branch ceased business in WA on July 6th, 1950.

Percival Everitt invented and patented the automatic, coin-operated personal scale design. Everitt was a Norfolk-born engineer and regarded as the father of the coin-operated industry. As a young man in 1877, he invented a hay and corn pitcher, a turnip thinner in 1878 and an Automatic Travelling Anchor in 1880. But his fame came in 1883 with the first postcard-vending machine, over a hundred of which he distributed around London. In 1884, he patented one of his many inventions, the coin-operated scales for use in public places; for many people, it was their first exposure to coin-operated machines. His success prompted the formation of the Weighing Machine Company in 1885. Further inventions followed: a blow tester in 1887, the machine for testing a person's grip in 1888, and in 1889, the dispensing machine for hiring out opera glasses, and a device for shutting down the coin entry slot if the machine was empty. In 1890, he invented a fortune-telling machine. Everitt sadly did not make his fortune; he died suddenly in February 1893, in his late forties, with £71 to his name.

George Salter & Co., West Bromwich, England, produced automatic weighing scale machines from Everitt’s patented design, and advertised them as suitable for hotels, pleasure gardens, theatres, exhibition halls, clubs, baths and places of public resort. The company was established in 1760 by brothers Richard and William Salter, and manufactured springs and pocket steelyards (spring balances). After several generations, the company was taken over in 1855 by a nephew, George, and renamed George Salter & Co. In 1884, Salter registered the trademark of a Staffordshire knot pierced by an arrow. The company's expanded range of products included the first coin-operated public weighing machines in the 1880s and, in 1895, the first English-made typewriter. In 1915, Salter became a limited company, Geo. Salter & Co. Ltd. When the last George Salter died in 1917, the company passed into the hands of other relatives, but continued to grow before being bought out by Staveley Industries in 1973. Despite several subsequent mergers, the Salter name continues to be seen on household products such as digital scales.

Significance

This patented, coin-operated weight machine is significant for its association with Percival Everitt, the inventor of the world’s first slot machine, with the renowned maker of scales, G. Salter & Co., which began operating in 1760, and also with the Australasian Automatic Weighing Scale Co., which imported and widely distributed the scales throughout Australia from the early-to-mid 20th century.
It is a rare example of an early vending machine used in public places from the late 19th through to the mid-20th century. These machines were the early step in the evolution of coin-in-the-slot machines, which are still used today.
The scales give a glimpse into our history; they became quickly popular with the public, which, until then, had little access to weight scales apart from those at medical services. They also provided inexpensive entertainment for families, especially while waiting for trains or visiting the post office.
The machines were also attractive and lucrative to the distributors; once installed, they required very little maintenance, and their low cost to customers kept the money coming in.
This automatic weighing machine is also significant for its decades of service to the local and regional community of Warrnambool, for personal and commercial purposes.

Physical description

A public coin-operated weighing scale, also called a penny scale. It is a large, silver-painted cast metal stand with a square top on a pedestal that flares outwards to join a rectangular platform base with posts on the side and corners that may have had fitted wheels. The round, white face on top has red and black measurements and inscriptions. A slim indicator with a point at one end and an arc at the other is attached to the face’s centre. The coin slot is above the face, on the left, and the scale’s identification number is engraved on an oval plate on the right. Moulded motifs decorate the pedestal’s front and are repeated on its sides; they depict a tall, narrow urn with a bowl on top and fancy scrolls on either side. There is a decorative panel across the front top of the stand. The top of the pedestal has a small keyhole.
The size of the coin slot fitted a penny coin, and the weight measurements on the face were in Imperial stones and pounds. Quite some time after 1966, when Australia introduced new decimal weights, measurements and currency, the scale was updated; the coin slot size was changed, and a new face with metric measurements was installed. The scale now accepts a $1 coin (one dollar) and the scale measures weight in kilograms and grams, from 0 to 125 kg..
The rear of the scale has a small, rectangular metal plate with printed text.
The scale was made by G Salter & Co. of West Bromwich, UK, distributed by the Australasian Automatic Weighing Platform Co., and updated to metric measurements by Eastern Scale Co. Pty Ltd. It was previously installed at the Warrnambool Post Office.

Inscriptions & markings

Engraved on an oval plate on the right: "665"
Top centre of the face, in red: "$1 coin"
Top of face: "EASTERN SCALE CO. PTY LTD"
Base of face, in red: "[Royal Coat of Arms of Britain]" with words, below in red: "BY ROYAL LETTERS PATENT"
Around the face, in black: "[numbers 0 to 125, in increments 5, and makes between the numbers for each 500g]" "kg"
Below the face, moulded letters within a shield: "AUSTRALASIAN AUTOMATIC WEIGHING MACHINES CO. LTD."
At the back of the weighing platform: "G SALTER & CO. / WEST BROMWICH", remnants of logo “[Staffordshire knot pierced by an arrow]”
Plate on rear: THIS SCALE REMAINS THE PROPERTY OF EASTERN SCALE CO. PTY. LTD., 8 GEORGE COURT, GREENSBOROUGH, VIC, 3088. PHONE (03 ) _ 34 _ _ 33” (434 9333 ?_