The Museum has recently incorporated part of the historical collection of the old Tarradell weighing scales manufacturing workshop. It is a donation made by the sisters, Núria and Eulàlia Tarradell i Font in memory of their father, the archaeologist Miquel Tarradell i Mateu (1920-1995), whose centenary of his birth is being celebrated this year. The collection is very varied and is entirely linked to the origins of the family workshop. The Tarradell family entered the weighing scales business when, in 1892, they purchased the accredited Farriols workshop in Barcelona. The latter dates back to the last quarter of the 18th century, and with the Tarradell family it found continuity, adapting itself to the market needs until its closure in the last quarter of the 20th century.

The Farriols family, first, and the Tarradell family, later, made all kinds of scales and weights throughout an era in which the city of Barcelona became an important centre for the production of these pieces. In this exhibition, the Numismatic Cabinet of Catalonia wants to highlight, with the help of pieces from the donation, both the manufacturing and the use of scales and weights to weigh the precious metal coins. Finally, we would like to publicly thank the Tarradell sisters for their generous gesture of turning a collection that was part of their family memory into a public heritage available to everyone.

Practice of the locksmith Josep Farriols, Barcelona, 1779. Donated by Núria and Eulàlia Tarradell Font.