Russian Bale Seal, Baltic States, Rein Hemp, SPB, 1741, Image by StuE, Finder Unknown.
Found in England, 32mm, 22.8g.
(S?)P? / scrolling / R:H / 741 // blank
A large bulla type seal.
From Paul Cannon, "[S]P.B / R:H / [1]741 (other face is blank)
This appears to be a further example of the earliest dated Russian flax/hemp seal so far discovered. John Sullivan recorded the first known seal of this date amongst the collections of the Museum of London [MoL: 88.107/43]. This also has the same initials 'R:H'. See John Sullivan's "Russian Cloth Seals in Britain: Trade, Textiles and Origins" (2012) pp. 15, 19 & 138 (Sullivan's Type 1a/b). Like other seals of this very early type the obverse is blank. For another example on the Bagseals site see Russian Bale Seal, St Petersburg, 1741, Image & Found by Derfel. The initials 'R:H' also occur on a seal dated 1747 and photographed by John Sullivan (see p. 16). A further seal dated 174[?] may also have the same initials but is of Sullivan's Type 2 see PAS NMS-1CADA2."
From Ged Dodd, "SPB (hemp), RH high quality Rein Hemp, ... 1741 ... the y's are normal decoration on these seals .. the SPB means hemp tax paid to the State in St Petersburg .. but does not mean this seal was shipped from St Petersburg. See The PeaceHavens Project, Russian Hemp Bale Seals."
