Brass coin weights were necessary to verify the values of gold and silver coins. Unlike our small change which only represents worth, the value of colonial coinage was determined by its gold or silver content. As a consequence, it was a common practice to clip coins for the metal. This illegal practice was not always detectable on the hammered coins made before 1662 which, unlike the later machine-made coinage, were not finished with a milled edge.

The coin weight at the top depicts the bust of James I and is for the gold double crown worth 11 shillings and was made between 1612 and 1619. The bottom coin weight is for the gold ryal, which was struck during Elizabeth 1's reign between 1583 and 1592 and valued at 15 shillings. It has a hand mark on the other side that signifies the weight was made in Antwerp.