MARSELLE Seal, Image by StuE, Found by Sue Clark
Found in the North Essex/Suffolk border region.
MARSEILLE // DOUANES curving down / PRIMES (DOUANES on side edge)
A thick, heavy seal that could read MARSEILLE but double stamped at the end and does not appear to be enough space for that many letters. The other side has the same dotted circular border with PRIMES (not clear) across the middle, below is what appears to be an upside down fleur de lyse, above is unclear another word DO?--A?E?S, The edge of the seal varies from 7 to 10mm thick and has writing around it - DOUANES can been made out which is French for Customs as in border control taxes.
From Philippe Lanez, "This is a French Customs Seal for Marseille, town and harbour south of France.
The reverse reads DOUANES circular downwards and PRIMES in horizontal.
This means that the goods exported benefited aids.
A complete explana tion can be read in "Le code maritime, ou Les lois de la marine marchande coordonnées et expliquées" by A.Beausssant article N° 969."
More from Philippe on dating, ""II.2 Written marks
What do the “PRIMES” and “REEXPORTATIONS D'ENTREPÔT” entries mean?
We discovered this through a monograph of the customs directorates of France 1890.
They tell us, for the second half of the XIX' if applicable, on the main customs office of Marseille and informs us that it is Louis-Philippe (as king 1830 et 1848) who set up a system of export primes in order to relaunch an economy heavily hampered by the revolution and the Napoleonic wars...."
Extract from a credible source - Etude de plombs de douane comme éléments de datation d'un naufrage, Laurence Serra, Archéologie en Languedoc, n'' 28, 2004.
