One Reason to Love Auctions...

is because you can pickup such wonderful items.

Got this Fairbanks Morse & Co. platform balance scale last week.  Love it, love it, love it.

Thaddeus Fairbanks, an American inventor, invented the first platform balance scale in 1830, and established E & T Fairbanks & Company with his brother, Erastus.  Soon they were selling thousands of these scales not only in the U.S., where they were integral to the marine and railway industries, but also in Europe, South America and China.  Charles Morse joined the company in 1850 and the company became Fairbanks, Morse & Company.  The company expanded into manufacturing various products including radios, washing machines, power mowers, water heaters, etc.  Today, Fairbanks Morse manufacture diesel and dual-fuel engines.