Coin/Token Found In Angus Scotland - Wondering What It Is (Id: 18th Century Flax Bale Seal)

@wake, that is an interesting find, but I suspect it isn't a coin. The whitish color is characteristic of old lead. Is it oddly heavy and soft compared with modern coins? To be clear though, don't damage this piece to figure out if it is soft. Assuming that it is lead, those through holes make me think that this is a lead seal.

I'm tempted to move this thread over to the unidentified subforum so that we can get a broader set of eyeballs on it.

The two holes on the rim indicate this is indeed a seal of some kind; there would originally have been string or rope of some kind threaded through the hole. It is presumably made of lead.

The date appears to be 1821, though "821" might be some kind of ID code unrelated to the date. The script appears to be Cyrillic, so presumably it is of Russian origin. Seems to say "T. Primaki", which I'd guess is the name (or abbreviation of the name) of the person or business which applied the seal.

I don't know what it would have sealed. Might have been a document of some kind, might have been a bale or crate of trade goods.

Sap has nailed it. I googled "T. Primaki" and found this website that has a coin with the same wording: http://www.peacehavens.co.uk/BSWALES.htm

Looks like it is a Russian Lead Flax/Hemp Bale Seals. On the peaceheavens website it say:
"Whereas Flax Bale seals are found primarily in the North of England in huge quantities, over 1400 at Bentham Mills alone, because that's where the Industrial flax based revolution took place, it is noticeable that the hemp seals occur randomly throughout the length and breadth of the country in ones and twos, because hemp bales were needed in much smaller quantities by cottage rope making industries, and spread over a greater time span, however more hemp was exported than flax .. but in later years hemp bales were not sealed, except from Archangel."

So it looks like I have a hemp bale seal, which is quite a coincidence as for the first time in a long time, or maybe ever, hemp is being trialled by a number of farmers in Angus fields. I know the guy who is leading the trial so this will be great to tell him.

If you look at the coin upside down it looks like the date is 178? which would be more in line with the 1796 date the matching coin on peacehavens.co.uk has on it.

Thanks everyone for the help. We would never have come up with that solution and it couldn't have been more fascinating for us. I will need to get in touch with the person who runs that website.

Good work! The CCF sleuths at work! : )

to the Community!