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A two drachm weight from a traditional apothecary weight set. It is 15mm square (the edges being rounded), and 4mm thick. Each of the square faces is marked with a large figure or letter engraved upon it, which is the traditional symbol to signify two drachms. One drachm (3.89g) equals one-eighth of a troy ounce (31.1g), three scruples, or sixty grains. The present weight actually has mass 7.34g (= 0.236ozt, 113.2gn). It has therefore lost some of its intended weight, probably owing to corrosion. Apothecary weights of brass were probably introduced after the Apothecaries received their royal charter in 1618, and continued to be made down to the early twentieth century. Many early weights are stamped with a rose, but this example is not, suggesting it may be 18th or 19th century.