Philip Harris & Co. Ltd. Glazed Mahogany Analytical Balance with Weight Set

A late-19th to early-20th century English analytical balance by Philip Harris & Co. Ltd. of Birmingham, England, housed in its original glazed mahogany case. The instrument is built around a polished brass center column supporting a graduated brass beam with integrated riders and a numbered scale running to at least ten divisions per side. Twin brass pans hang from wire stirrup frames, each resting on three cast feet when at rest. A turned plumb-bob damping weight hangs from the central column on a silk thread, and a small ivorine pointer scale is mounted at the base of the column for zero-point reference. A beam-arrest mechanism lifts from beneath the platform, locking the knife-edges when the instrument is not in use — standard practice for protecting the hardened agate or steel bearing surfaces of a precision balance. The front glass panel slides upward on wooden runners for pan access, and the glazed side panels enclose the interior against air currents. The maker's circular ivorine roundel — reading PHILIP HARRIS & CO. LTD. BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND — is mounted to the front upper rail; a second roundel appears on the underside of the case frame.

Philip Harris & Co. Ltd. was founded in Birmingham in 1817 and grew into one of Britain's principal suppliers of scientific, laboratory, and educational apparatus through the Victorian and Edwardian periods and well into the 20th century. The firm outfitted schools, universities, hospitals, assay offices, and industrial chemists across Britain and the Commonwealth, and its instruments were exported widely. Analytical balances of this pattern — brass beam, glazed hardwood cabinet, suspended pan configuration — were standard equipment in gravimetric chemistry from roughly the 1880s through the mid-20th century. The enclosed case was not decorative; sensitivity on a well-made instrument of this type could reach 0.1 mg or better, and the slightest draft or humidity change would displace the beam. The case was the instrument's working environment, not its display case. The lot includes a removable rider/saddle, used for fine adjustments to the beam, and a set of nine graduated brass calibration weights: 100 g, 50 g, 20 g, 20 g, 10 g, 5 g, 2 g, and two smaller fractional weights.

CONDITION

Good overall with age-appropriate wear throughout. The mahogany case shows scuffs, scratches, staining, and evidence of previous repair; one glass panel has a crack running from a lower corner (documented in supplemental reference images). The case front has a significant chip and paint-transfer stain to the surface. Brass beam, column, and pans show patina, light tarnish, and minor spotting consistent with age and use. Brass beam may have a previous repair - a loose element is included. Displays well.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 17½" H × 18" W × 11" D
• Maker: Philip Harris & Co. Ltd., Birmingham, England (est. 1817)
• Case: Solid mahogany with glazed front and side panels; sliding front panel; lower storage drawer
• Balance: Brass beam with graduated scale and riders; brass center column; twin brass suspension pans on wire stirrup frames; plumb-bob damping weight; ivorine zero-point scale; beam-arrest mechanism
• Includes: Removable rider/saddle
• Weight Set: (9) graduated brass weights — 100 g, 50 g, 20 g, 20 g, 10 g, 5 g, 2 g, and (2) smaller fractional weights