Hi Minch & Dave & Matt & Sandy & All,

Minch asked about an N.Y.C.PA.ALA. marking on a rule. Dave S. said he
had a different type rule with an N.Y.C. & PENNA. marking he'd thought
might be RR related but knew of no such RR. Matt said there was such a
RR, so maybe that was it. And Sandy said he'd seen ones with N.Y.C. only
markings and thought it was just a city government approval thing
unrelated to RRs.

I've owned ca. 200 rules, looked at a good many others, and seen several
markings like these. I've thought I knew what they meant in general, but
can't recall why I thought that or how I came to do so. Basically, it's
along the lines of Sandy's idea. Many state and local governments did/do
have weights and measures standards and various types of bureaus and
inspectors to enforce them. I'm sure you're all familiar with the
inspection labels found today on weight scales in butcher's shops,
doctor's offices, etc. My assumption has been that the markings on rules
were simply an indication that that particular rule (maybe even just
type of rule) had been certified as meeting the requirements of a
particular government or such. Such certification would probably not be
needed for all rules - only those used in retail trade or such.

I do know more for sure about the use of such markings in the U.K. - and
maybe that's why/how I made the U.S. assumption. Weights and measures
standards have been a very big deal in the U.K. for centuries.
Individual serving mugs and glasses in British bars are marked with a
symbol denoting the accuracy of the pint of bitters you're buying and
that's been so for a long time. The marking most commonly used is a
small shield with initials designating the reigning monarch (i.e., ER
for Elizabeth Regina or Edward Regina, HR for Henry Regina, etc.) and a
number designating the city or other inspection area. Some old pewter
mugs might have 20 or more such marks stamped into their bodies based on
periodic reinspections; I've assumed those were from bars that maybe had
bad reputations for giving honest measure. Some British rules are also
stamped this same way; I assume those rules were used in retail trades
or such where fair measure mattered. 

Best Wishes,
Bob in MD