The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 19, May 8, 2005, Article 16

ANS ACQUISITION: EARLY LEAD BALE SEALS

The following item was published in the May 2005 issue of
the American Numismatic Society's E-News:

"Local historian William Asadorian recently donated to the
cabinet an unusual collection of Early American lead bale seals
recovered from excavation sites during large-scale late 20th-
century construction projects. Almost all the seals are from
sites in New York City. These interesting token-like pieces,
which were once affixed to bales of fabric or containers of
other commodities, represent the burgeoning trade of the
Colonial and Early Federal eras. The find-spots of most of
the pieces are known, and the collection includes many examples
of Dutch, English, French, Portuguese and even Russian origin."

[I located a web page with a little more information on bale seals:
"Lead seals such as cloth seals and bale seals were widely used
in Europe between the 13th and 19th centuries as a means of
identification and as a component of regulation and quality control."

Bale seals such were single disc seals, rather than two disc seals,
and were also used to identify textiles, as well as parcels and
bales of trade goods. The obverse would typically display a city's
arms, and the reverse would record data such as the length or
width of fabric or the weight of a parcel."
More Information

Sort of like collecting bar-code labels, only much more
interesting. Here are some pages illustrating some seals:
Seal Illustration
Seal Illustration
-Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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