Cloth Seal, Belgian, Clothier's Seal, Matthieu De Favay, Eupen

Cloth Seal, Belgian*, Matthieu De Favay, Eupen, Image & Found by Robert Ian McGowan.
Found in Belgium, 37mm.
* Did not become part of Belgium until 1919.

Mercury with ornate shields to sides - left MDF monogram - right anchor with eagle displayed above, MANUFACTURE DE MATTHIEU DE FAVAY à EUPEN around // No / 21581 / 18 1/2 all underlined with numbers incuse in recess

From Jan van Oostveen, "Eupen in Belgium south of Aachen."

From Philippe Lanez, "An interesting document found about the history of textile production in Eupen, which helps us to date this French legend lead in the French period 1794 to 1814 (Part 1.2.1): Norbert Gilson, Geschichte der Textilindustrie im Raum Verviers, Eupen, Aachenunter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Wolltuchindustrie, "After a difficult period of transition in the years 1794 to 1797, the Eupenian cloth industry reached its peak during the reign of Napoleon. The incorporation into France caused Eupen to become far away from trade and production. Customs borders within a comprehensive and legally uniform economic territory. The upswing was based, on the one hand, on government contracts to furnish the French army and, on the other hand, on the possibility of delivering duty-free to France. Another important condition for the upswing of the Eupen cloth industry was the elimination of English competition on the continental market. This economically favorable situation enabled the Eupenians to make the first "push for industrialization." We are informed about the extent of the changes by the statistical record of the economic and social conditions initiated by the French administration. It is noteworthy, however, that in these "statistical" numbers, as in the case of the end of the eighteenth century, there are partly very contradictory statements about the numbers of the existing "factories". This is probably due to the fact that the term "factory" was still used with little differentiation at that time. A first overview gives the numbers of two censuses from the years 1796/98. Accordingly, there were 47 cloth "manufacturers", of which 11 were at the same time as cloth traders, 88 clothiers, 219 weavers, 489 shearers, 76 spinners, 49 noppers, 33 dyers with 20 dyeing workers and about 170 other working in the cloth production workers. The first machines, roughing and shearing machines, were set up in 1806 in Eupen. One year later, Bernhard Scheibler put the first wool spinning machine into operation in Eupen. With the introduction of the machines, the process of reorganizing the entire fabric manufacturing process began. The "manufacturers" (actually the cloth merchants) had hitherto confined themselves to merely finishing in their house, so now began the gradual summary of all processing steps in larger establishments, their locations now because of the drive of the machines with the help of water wheels the presence of sufficient water power were tied. The previously used for washing and dyeing Gospertbach in the Upper Town was no longer enough. Between 1808 and 1810, there was a veritable wave of "factories" that were now being built in the new Lower Eupen suburb, called "Under the Haas" on Weser and Hill. Here was a veritable industrial quarter. Similar to the Aacheners in the Indetal, some Eupener manufacturers invested in the utilization of hydropower on the tributaries of the Weser, preferably on the Geul (Göhl). The driving force of Weser and Hill was sufficient to drive the first machine ensembles and only in 1816 the first steam engine was installed in Eupen. The upturn in the cloth industry also had a favorable effect on the suppliers. Thus, acidification factories (mainly sulfuric and nitric acid), which were required as suppliers to the many dye works, experienced an upswing, although larger quantities of the required acids were still imported, though illegally, via Holland from England at unbeatably low prices.
The main article of the Eupener production - in the year 1812 about 43% - was Serails (fine, light, light-colored, lightly worked woolen cloth from coarser wool). Also famous were the cloths, which were called "Eupener Schwarz", with which the city, in addition to the smooth black cloth from Aachen, competed successfully after 1815 with England."