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Systems at Work

Fairbanks Package Scale

refer to caption — Prior to the addition of Parcel Post Service in 1913, only packages weighing less than 4 pounds were allowed through the U.S. mails. Postmasters used scales such as this to determine the correct postage.

Erastus and Thaddeus Fairbanks were building scales since the 1830s. Their company became one of the top suppliers of scales to the Post Office Department.

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