Antique early 20th century Philipp Jakob Maul “Columbus Bilateral” Postal Scales

A distinctive double-lined, stylised “M” trademark of Philipp Jakob Maul of Hamburg. The mark was registered in 1909 and is documented on Maul’s Columbus and Columbus Bilateral letter scales.

Displayed with other items illustration only not included for sale separately

37 cm tall ( can be adjusted slightly

30 cm wide

Antique early 20th century Philipp Jakob Maul “Columbus Bilateral” Postal Scales

Dating to approximately the 1910s–1920s, these impressive German postal scales were manufactured by Philipp Jakob Maul of Hamburg, one of the leading makers of mechanical letter scales during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The maker’s distinctive double-lined “M” trademark is stamped into the brass mechanism beneath the weighing platform. Maul’s trademark was registered in 1909, providing a useful earliest date for this particular example.

Philipp Jakob Maul established his business in Hamburg in 1874, specialising in precision letter balances and office equipment. His ingenious Columbus Bilateral design used two graduated weighing ranges, allowing letters and small parcels of different weights to be measured without the need for a collection of loose weights. Surviving versions were made with various capacities, including the 250-gram and 1,000-gram arrangement found on this example.

The scales retain their ornate black cast-iron framework, brass linkage, circular brass platform and curved enamel measuring panel. The elaborate foliate casting and exposed mechanical movement make this as much a piece of early industrial sculpture as a practical postal instrument.

The mechanism operates smoothly and returns correctly to zero. The confirmation does add interest and confidence, although the untouched surface wear, tarnishing and not calibrated