Russian Bale Seal, Archangel, 1837, Image by StuE, Found by Swarfy.
Found in North Yorkshire.
Russian flax bale seal. This one is from the port of Archangel.
First side:-
First line - АП = AP = Archangel Port
Second line - (А)ЕСЯЦ(К) = desyatnik = quality control officer
Third line - ФВ = FV = initials of quality control officer
Second side:-
First line - missing but normally the same as the first side АП = AP = Archangel Port
Second line - ЛНЯ.БРАК = lynyan brak = Flax Bracking
Third line - 2 A.P.PY = the producer's initials, A.P. = A.R. straddled by the quality indicators 2PY = 2nd quality (PY = RU = ruka = hand or quality)
Fourth line - 1837 = date of grading.
See Figs.43a & b, p.58 Russian Cloth Seals in Britain: Trade, Textiles and Origins by John Sullivan.
From Ged Dodd, "Obverse:- АП / ДECЯЦК / ФБ
Archangel Port Inspector F.B.
Reverse:- APX. ПОР / ЛНЯ.БРАК / 2 A.P . РУ / 1857
Archangel Port bracked (inspected) as flax of 2nd Grade supplied by Grower/Owner/Agent with initials AP in 1857.
PУ is PУKA (RUKA) grade, class, mostly seen as just a P.
2 PУКИ (2 RUKI) is 2nd grade or 9 heads in the bale.
see IDS 1167 on The PeaceHavens Project, Seal Numbers 1101 - 1200."
