Description:

Set of Exchequer standard Avoirdupois bronze weights, made between 1582 and 1588 at the command of Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603 as primary standards for England. Copies of these Exchequer standards were issued to 43 boroughs in England to encourage and enforce fair trade in commerce. They were the third set of weights produced for this purpose as earlier examples proved defective. In England, materials other than precious metals were weighed using the Avoirdupois system based on a pound of 16 ounces containing 7,000 grains. These weights remained the primary standards until 1824 when they were superseded by more accurate mass standards.