Jackson Weights Explained

There’s a lot of rumor and gossip that often gets repeated as fact when it comes to Vintage Weights.

I’ve had the best results in discovering the facts by researching original literature and documents, discussing with those who have been around the strength game far longer than I have, and having the weights in my hands.

Nothing replaces having the weights in your hands to observe details and compare and contrast.

I’ve spent a lot of time and effort to acquire original Jackson documents as well as the weights themselves to gain a better appreciation of his pieces.

One aspect that is often misunderstood is the relationship between his different sets and the various generations.

Here’s my attempt to help explain it.

There were ultimately two major types of sets. The ones that were Olympic and numbered, and the ones that are now commonly known as standards. As a side note, Andy Jackson also referred to all his sets with revolving bars as Olympic.

Jackson’s #1 set was the very best set he produced starting in the 1930s. This set consisted of Olympic-style weights, a bar, and collars. He used the best and most accurately cast weights for this set. When necessary, he machined the backs of the larger weights to produce weights within the tolerance he desired.

Jackson #2 & #3 sets used the same Olympic weights but these were not lathed for calibration and also the bar and collars that came with the sets were manufactured differently to save cost. They used a combination of cast iron collars or sleeves. The Hercules collars he used were also simpler to manufacture.

At the same time, Jackson had sets of standard weights used with simple bar stock and collars.

In the 40’s he also produced a #4 set with a unique 1.5” bore. The plates of the 25 and under weights used the same patterns as the #1,#2, and #3 sets. The 35/50 lbs weights were a different simpler design altogether similar to the standard weights.

Jackson stopped producing his #1 sets in 1959.

The #5 set was released the same year with a bore of 1 21/64” in order to fit the bar sleeve of 1 5/16” perfectly.

The #6 set was the same as a #5 but with a shorter bar.

Since the various sets were produced over the course of decades, the plate design itself also evolved. The progression was generally larger font and rounder edges.

As such, there are #1 sets and Olympic weights with three generations of designs. The picture illustrates the three generations. It is also common for earlier third-generation sets to have a mix of older plates.

Note that the #4 plate is the same as the second-generation Olympic but with a different 1.5” bore.

The standard set is the square edge design and notice that the center hub itself is smaller. There were also standard round edge plates.

The #5 weight is very similar to the last generation of the Olympic #1 but the design is slightly larger and flatter.

The center plate is a special aluminum plate that Jackson made and kept until he passed.

These are the major types but unique specimens have also come up over the years.