This old iron scale you’re seeing is a classic Avery shipping scale, manufactured around 1830 by W. & T. Avery Ltd. in Birmingham, England. Avery was one of the biggest and most trusted scale-makers of the 19th century, known worldwide for their precision engineering. Their heavy-duty platform scales were used across the British Empire, especially in colonies where sugar, cocoa, rum, and other export goods had to be weighed accurately before shipping.

In Tobago, a scale like this would’ve been used on estates, warehouses, or ports to weigh barrels, crates, and agricultural produce before being loaded onto ships. It played a key role in trade operations, ensuring exporters, merchants, and shipping agents could calculate value and taxes. The solid cast-iron build and mechanical lever system made it reliable even in rough tropical environments.

Today, it stands as a rare survivor from Tobago’s plantation and maritime trading era, a physical reminder of 19th-century commerce, colonial industry, and the island’s role in regional shipping networks.