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Further information found by StuE
Early Archangel seals
Fourteen Archangel seals in Fife Council Museums (East) collection dating from the early 1830s differ in their configuration from those described above (CUPMS: 1999.52.13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23; 1999.53.11; 1999.54.30, 31, 57; 1999.55.5; 1999.56.1; 1999.58.1), of which eight are clearly dated between 1832 and 1838. Dates on the other seals are illegible.
Typically, the first line on the obverse of these seals has the initials A.П. (A. P = Archangel Port). Nine of the seals have the same abbreviation of the rank of Quality Control Officer desiatsko which follows on the second line. One seal has desiatskoi, one desiats and a third desiask. Three are illegible. The seals are also unusual in providing the bracker’s initials rather than his full name.
The seals show greater variety in the way they present information on their reverse sides. They all indicate the contents of the bale to which they were attached, followed by its quality, the initials of the producer and the date. On six seals showing MП (MP) as the initials of the producer the initials are spanned by the date, for example, CUPMS: 1999.52.18 has 18MП38 (18MP38, i.e. MP 1838). On seal CUPMS: 1999.56.1, the date spans the initials which are K [Д] (K [D]). On two seals the initials of the producer are not spanned by the date, but by the quality indicators. The digits precede the initials B Д (V D) and A P (A R) and the abbreviation of the word ruka (as r or ru) (= quality) follows them: CUPMS: 1999.52.13 (2 BД р) (2VD r, i.e. VD 2nd quality) and CUPMS: 1999.52.15 (2 AP py) (2 AR ru, i.e. AR 2nd quality). A feature of early Archangel seals is also this use of pyka (ruka = hand, sort) to indicate quality. Only one early seal in the Fife (East) collection has c for copт (s (i.e. sort)), CUPMS: 1999.52.17, which becomes characteristic of all later seals from Archangel. KPOHЪ - high-quality flax: crown.
Lead Seals of Russian Origin in Fife John Sullivan. |
