About The Cloth and Bag Seal Identification Guide, formerly Bagseals.org

This gallery was created as a free reference resource for those wanting to identify lead cloth and bag seals. It has been compiled and researched by Stuart F. Elton (StuE on the forums) since 2011.

Grateful for any information, images or corrections. Sending images for inclusion means you agree to their publication in any book or article in which they may be referenced, with credit given for the original image and finding.

Email stuarteltonstuartelton@gmail.com with photographs of both sides, even if one side is blank — and please don't crop them. Images up to 10 MB are fine, and low resolution can make identification impossible from a photograph. Diameter in mm, weight in g and the county it was found in all help, if known.

Cloth Seals: An Illustrated Reference Guide to the Identification of Lead Seals Attached to Cloth: from the British Perspective by S.F. Elton is available from Archaeopress.

The Seals in Other Languages

Much of the literature is not in English. The lead seals in this guide are Plomben, Bleiplomben or Tuchplomben in German, lakenlood or keurlood in Dutch, and klædeplomber in Danish. Searching for any of those should bring you here.

Handling Lead Safely

Lead is poisonous — always take care when handling seals. Avoid inhaling any dust. Wash hands thoroughly before eating. See HSE guidance on working safely with lead.