Russian, Riga Balsam Seal, Image & Found by Sveinung Lein
Found in Randaberg, Norway, ?mm.
Crossed keys cross pattée above, 1815 ?Б...АЖА ?ОМОЩЬ around // ЧЕРНЬIИ / БАЛЬЗАМЪ / К.Б., ?????????IИ РИСК?И around РИГА (RIGA) at base
The saltire keys with a cross pattée in the top quadrant is a detail from the arms of the port of the Latvian city of Riga. In 1815 it was part of the Russian Empire. The official language at that time was German and was not changed to Russian until 1891 but is known that this large and important port did employ Cyrillic script on seals for flax and hemp (Riga Flax) shipped from the late 1700's onward.
From Paul Cannon, "Face 1: Partial Riga arms with 'БОГЪ НАША ПОМОЩЬ * 1815 *' = God is our Help * 1815 * (see below). I can't add anything about the other face.
The following two websites have a wealth of information about lead Rigan balsam seals, Gravirovshik and Монетонос. Interestingly the first illustrates a seal still attached to a ceramic bottle of balsam and both have good examples of several of the seals themselves. All the texts are in Russian. The following is an English summary (based on a careful use of Google Translate) where I have concentrated on the recorded inscriptions. The authors name some of the manufacturers recorded on the seals eg the Вольфшмидты [Volfshmidt], Шустовы [Shustov], Ионы [Jonah], Штриттеры [Shtritter], Смирновы [Smirnov], НАТУСЫ [Natusy], ЦЕЗАРИ [Caesar] & ШВАБЕ [Schwabe]. The seals sometimes refer to the premises eg ФАБРИКА РИЖСКАГО ТРАВНAГО БАЛЬЗАМА = Riga ?herbal balsam factory .
ВОДОЧ. ЗАВ. Г. П. ШВАБЕ. The first two abbreviated words stand for ВОДОЧНЫЙ ЗАВОД meaning 'distillery'.
Some inscriptions allude to religion:
БОГ И МОЯ СИЛА = God and my strength
БОГ И МОЕ ПРАВО = God and my Right
БОГ МОЯ НАДЕЖДА = God is my hope
БОГЪ НАША ПОМОЩЬ = God is our help
БОГ В ПОМОЩЬ = Godspeed/God help you
[Ged Dodd has pointed out that the above would be more correctly written as:-
БОГЪ МОЯ СИЛА = God is my strength
БОГЪ МОЯ ПРАВО = God is my Right
БОГЪ МОЯ НАДЕЖДА = God is my hope
БОГЪ НАША ПОМОЩЬ = God is our help
БОГЪ В ПОМОЩЬ = Godspeed
Giving God a capital letter.]
Some refer to evidence of the medicinal properties of the product and to prizes won at international exhibitions, all adding to the general impression of the quality eg
ОДОБРЕНО МЕДИЦИНСКИМ СОВЕТОМ ВЪ С.П.Б = approved by the Medical Council in St Petersburg
ОДОБРЕНО МОСКОВСКОЙ МАНУФАКТУРНОЙ ВЫСТАВКОЙ 1865 = approved by the Moscow Manufacturing Exhibition 1865
As well as general terms for balsam ie БАЛЬЗАМА (balsam); РИЖСКИИ БАЛЬЗАМА (Riga Balsam) & ЧЕРНЫИ РИЖСКИИ БАЛЬЗАМА (Black Riga Balsam) the term ДВОЙНОЙ БАЛЬЗАМ indicates 'double balsam' ie double strength.
The authors describe the seals as sometimes bearing the full arms of Riga ie gate with two towers and keys or the partial form of the arms and only crossed keys and a small cross. Russian arms may also appear as the product was not only made in Latvia but in Russia as well. It is stated that a 'sailing ship' or a small eagle may also also be depicted. Virtually all of the dated examples have a 19th century date.
It is quite clear from the above two websites that there are a great number of varieties within the series as a whole. There seem to be two basic types, namely customs seals, which appear to be very late 18th in date and the much larger group of seals applied to containers of Black Riga Balsam as a mark of quality. They are not common finds in the UK. The Bagseal examples were found in Norway (this seal) and Russia, Balsam Customs Seal, Image & Found by HungryDuck. The PAS database contains one found in the UK see NCL-935932."
From Ged Dodd Riga Black Balsam Seals IDS 358, "*1815* БОГЪ НАША ПОМОЩЬ = GOD IS OUR HELP // ---A--ЛIM PИЖCKИИ*PИГA* / PИЖCKИИ ЧEPHЫИ БAЛЬЗAMЪ = RIGA BLACK BALSAM"
