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Keller Portable Assay Balance Closed | KELLER PORTABLE ASSAY BALANCE -George Keller portable assay button balance, made about 1890, case mahogany with crinkled finish, all brass hardware, button pans are German silver, measures 12 3/16 in. wide, 5 in. deep and 6 1.4 in. high, 6 in. beam, hinged glass door with blue glass in back, marked KELLER BALANCE MFG. CO., SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, on pointer index plaque, with two bubble levels, with weights [Keller assay balances are the world’s best declared a printed 1908 ad for the Salt Lake Hardware Company. Keller’s fine balances were considered a high mark among assay professionals, being renowned for providing both extreme accuracy and reliable service. George P. Keller was born February 20, 1865 in Darmstadt, Germany where his father was a schoolmaster. In 1880 at the age of 15 he arrived in America and continued his schooling. By 1890 he trained with master balance maker William Ainsworth in Denver as did many of the elite balance makers in the western US. He shows up in the 1894 Salt Lake City Directory as the proprietor of a Novelty and Repair Shop at 120 W. 1st South. In 1897 he began his long career of making outstanding assay and analytical balances for the trade. He was the first to manufacture inverted-beam assay balances in the US and some of his first efforts resulted in the smallest field assay balances ever made. The inverted-beam innovation was a significant development resulting in the reduction of the total weight of the balance. In 1937, each Keller balance required 25 days to make with over 200 pieces being assembled into each one. It was considered a capacity year if 35 balances were made. It is believed that Keller never produced a catalog of products. His balances were so popular in the trade that word of mouth caused such a demand that his balances were always in short supply. The Salt Lake Hardware Company was his selling agent for the business. One result of his pursuit of perfection and the fine reputation of his balances was that delivery after receipt of an order was often a year or more. In 1940 Keller and family moved to Santa Monica, CA where he established a small factory. He maintained his business until his death on November 16, 1942.] | Original Image |
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