Dave,

I can say pretty safely that the use of lead bale seals was pretty standard
with most British fur companies in North America in the 18th and 19th
centuries. I can't speak of French company examples so much, but Fort
Michilimackinac, already mentioned in another post, provides a great example
of 18th century use of bale seals of both French and English origin. Here at
Fort Vancouver, an HBC administrative post on the Columbia River (ca.
1829-1860), hundreds of lead bale seals have been recovered in
archaeological contexts. I know they are standard fare in HBC Columbia and
New Caledonia Districts of the 19th century, and I have also seen examples
at Fort Langley, British Columbia, Fort Colvile (Colvile, WA), and Fort Hall
(Idaho).

As a very short list of HBC examples, I would recommend:

Chance, David H. and Jennifer V. Chance
    1979    Kettle Falls: 1977 Salvage Archaeology in and Beside Lake
Roosevelt. University of Idaho Anthropological Research Manuscripts Series,
No. 53

Ross, Lester
    1976    Fort Vancouver, 1829-1860. A Historical Archeological
Investigation of the Goods Imported and Manufactured by the Hudson's Bay
Company. Ms. on File, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, United States
Department of the Interior, National Park Service (see page 1045
specifically)

Thomas, Bryn and Charles Hibbs, Jr.
    1984    Report of Investigations of Excavations at Kanaka Village
Vancouver Barracks Washington 1980/1981. Vols 1 & 2. Washington State
Department of Transportation.

You could probably look in almost any other archaeological report on HBC
trade posts (see Smoke Pfeiffer's excellent on-line bibliographies for
multitudes of examples) for other examples.

Best,

Bob Cromwell
Archaeologist
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Vancouver, WA  98661
[log in to unmask]



on 1/2/02 5:08 PM, Dave McMahan at [log in to unmask] wrote:

> I am currenly analyzing a collection of early 19th century lead fur bale
> seals from Castle Hill, the colonial headquarters of the
> Russian-American Company.  These seals (similar technologically to those
> from ancient Roman and Byzantine context) were embossed with secret
> codes to indicate the source/quality of furs.  They were then used to
> secure and tamper-proof the bales.  My question to the group is:  Was
> the use of bale seals standard practice in the fur trade?  I know that
> they were used in the textile industry -- and probably others -- but I
> am interested specifically in finding analogs/examples in the fur
> trade.  I would appreciate any insights.  Thanks.
>
> Dave McMahan