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Wrigley Jr. Scale

c. very late 1800's or very early 1900's, 8". This is an early cast iron candy scale that was available from Wrigley as "Premium Offer No. 39." A pdf of the page describing this scale in the 1899-1901 Wrigley premium catalog is available here. Surprisingly, the description claims that it's "sensitive enough to weigh the finest drugs." That prompts me to wonder if it's sensitive enough to weigh crude drugs, or would a less sensitive scale suffice for that. Also, when did Wrigley's get into pharmaceuticals?

But back to the scale. As you fill the tray the "Revolving Aluminum Dial" rotates while the pointer stays stationary. I've owned 2 of these scales and they were identical except for some pinstriping details and the curved iron "rim" that protects the outside and upper parts of the rotating brass disc. My other version didn't have one (and never had), and the scale pictured in the premium catalog doesn't have one. It's obvious from these 2 scales that Wrigley made at least 2 versions of this, and I'd guess that the rimless version was earlier.