Dear Peter,
As I mentioned to a List member off-line, the 07 could possibly also be a
batch number. This piece being from one batch, and to be added to it's
companions after the whole run had been completed.
ICPMS would ID the trace elements/metals within, but there would be a
problem finding location refs. to match to - I suppose any known detailed lead
ore analyses might possibly at least go part of the way to help.
The stamp marks unfortunately don't tell us a great deal unfortunately,
since the dies used could have been old even when used in, say, 1907. By their
'precision' and neatness, they are obviously official, and I still think
this piece of silver was stolen. This is virtually impossible to prove of
course, but the location where it was found does tend to indicate 'something
strange'. I have refrained from mentioning anything connected with Roman! -
the stamp marks don't seem to conform.
So, this leaves us wondering... does anyone know how smelt mills in this
gnrl. area handled each batch of silver resulting from a specific parcel of
ore? - before the batch was completed and the resulting batches of silver
presumably put together for final refining/cleaning and put into ingot form?
- if the silver has just been supplied from the mill in this form it might
suggest an early date? - but the stamp marks need interpreting? A mill
master would have needed to have kept a tally of each silver extraction from
each batch of a parcel, so it is logical that batches would be marked/st
amped, and the stamp on the piece of silver registered on a ledger? So, does
anyone know of any mill ledgers?
Peter, you have some detective work to do! The clues are out there!!!
Regards, Bernard
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