CLOTH SEAL

Complete Post Medieval lead alloy St Petersburg bale (or bag) seal dated 1804. The bifaced seal has been cast with a raised legend on both sides. The letters are a mixture of the Roman and Cyrillic alphabet, and are roughly arranged in short lines to fit inside the circular plan. One side features the initials SPB that denote the token’s origin in St Petersburg; below it are the letters ABR that suggest the seal was for a bale of zabrak, or low quality flax, and below these the date 1804. At an angle intersecting from the top right of the seal the first half of the lower two lines has been replicated, suggesting the seal was moved in the cast by accident. In the space at the beginning of the first and third lines is a small five-petalled flower. The other side of the seal is harder to discern and has suffered the same overlapping of the legend encountered on the first side. Here the letters that are legible are ERY and PRE, with the R being reverse. The seal has a dark patina and is relatively fine; its dimensions are typical of the St Petersburg seal type. Side 1: SPB / ABR / 1804 Side 2: ERY / PRE Dimensions: length: 23.09mm; width: 23.90mm; thickness: 4.81mm; weight: 12.38g.