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Unknown weight


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  • 7 months later...

On the apothecaries' scale (used for medicines, chemicals, etc) there were 480 grains to the ounce,

exactly as with the Troy scale for precious metals,

but instead of 24 grains = 1 pennyweight (dwt) and 20 pennyweights = 1 ounce (31.103 grams not 28.35 grams)

we have 24 grains = 1 scruple, 3 scruples = 1 dram or drachm, 8 drams/drachms = 1 ounce.

The abbreviation for dram os a sort of flat-topped "3" or handwritten "Z".

An archaic form of Roman numerals has a final "I" done as a "J" to make it clear that the number is finishing,

e.g. iij, vij and even just j (for "1", of course).

So what you have is a 1-dram weight as indicated above.

and the theoretical weight should be 3.888 grams (rather than 4,00g). :ninja:

[Date probably 1845 to 1865.]

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  • 3 weeks later...

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