Jecker Paris 1800 Monetary Trebuchet

Magnificent trebuchet of money changer with flail fixed in its original mahogany case equipped with its table of "gold coins". It is in superb condition but we note some gaps in the lexicon and an old trace of accident on the side of the case. The text below refers to the site of Mr. Albert Balasse: the Compendium. I invite you to visit on the web, as these photos are much more telling than mine. "The mahogany case measuring 15.8 x 2.8 x 1.8 cm contains a monetary trebuchet signed JECKER A PARIS - Circa 1800. The TABLE of Gold Coins gives the "weight", expressed in gros and grains, of around twenty coins in circulation in different European countries, from the Dutch Ducat to the Prussian Coin, including the Sequin of Rome and the Spanish Pistole. The opening is made on two gold coins of 24 and 48 "livres tournois de France" weighing 2 and 4 gros respectively. The symbol used is very small and placed in superscript. It is, in stylized form, an l (for livre) followed by a t (for tournois) whose bar crosses the l. The large divisions of the beam on which the counterweight slides are identified on one side by their correspondence in gros: 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each gros is divided into 12 parts, each worth 6 grains. A gros (about 3.824 g) is worth 72 grains. To make it easier to read when checking French gold coins, the manufacturer has subtly indicated the weight and value. In the image above, the "2" has a double meaning: it is the 2 of 2 gros (the weight) and the 2 of 24 livres (the value). The same is true for the 4 of 4 gros which is also the 4 of 48 livres. Above the two numbers 24 and 48, we find the same symbol for the livre tournois as on the coin tables. On 18 Germinal of Year III (April 7, 1795), the French Revolution renamed the livre tournois and the franc became the single monetary unit in France. Our trebuchet is contemporary with the period immediately following the Revolution and following the table of coins, some correspondences are given between the weights of gold expressed in gros and grains and the values of the gold coins expressed in francs. The coin placed in the basket causes the balance of the beam when the counterweight, which also acts as a cursor, indicates 2 gros and 6 grains. But it is not a gold coin of 24 livres tournois weighing slightly more than normal but, more simply, a euro from 1999." Thanks to Albert Balasse: The compendium… Very useful