The firm of Mayer Bros. was established in Seattle in 1897 under the name Joseph Mayer and Brothers. The company was founded by Joseph, Albert, and Markus Mayer, who emigrated from Germany. They were manufacturing jewelers, silversmiths, and jewelry wholesalers. In 1897, Albert and Markus left the company to join the Klondike gold rush where they established a retail jewelry store in Dawson City and staked a gold mining claim on Gold Bottom Creek in 1898. They sold the store in 1905 and returned to Seattle. These gold scales were donated by Jerry Martin of Port Townsend, a skilled caretaker and maintenance technician of the Ben Bridge street clock, the Carroll's street clock now at MOHAI, as well as many others in Seattle.