RIGA flax was shipped to Montrose in 1689 before the introduction of leads seals. The Rennys were wealthy 17th century flax importers in Riga sending undressed flax to Montrose.  Patrick Renny exported flax to Dundee and Montrose in 1720.  The Ouchterlonies were also established in Riga. John Ouchterlony, a merchant there, retired to Montrose in 1736 and continued his interest in the flax trade. In the 18th century, traditional trading patterns held firm; the growth of the linen industry in Montrose from the 1790s meant increasing flax imports mainly from Riga but also from St. Petersburg and Archangel. Skippers of vessels bringing flax and hemp from Riga nearly always carried a mast or two and some small timber home. Almost the whole of this Baltic trade was carried out in Montrose vessels, mainly two-masted brigs and schooners. Riga became famous for the highly alcoholic health tonic Kuncz's Tincture when in 1764, Russian Empress Catherine II was cured of a cold. From then on the family of Abraham Kunze was granted exclusive rights to produce the miraculous elixir .. "Riga Black Balsam". Tilsit born Max Scherwinsky was the architect for Riga's first Art Nouveau building.

     Riga brands are as follows : K, crown ; H K, light crown ; P K, picked crown ; H P K, light picked crown ; S P K, superior picked crown ; H S P K, light superior picked crown.   Crown flexes of " grey " or " white " colour are shipped from Riga, mostly to France and Belgium, as K or W K, grey crown or white crown ; G P K or W P K, grey or white picked crown ; G S P K or W S P K, grey or white superior picked crown.  The Livonian or Hoffe flaxes shipped from Riga are D, hoffs dreiband ; W H D, white hoffs dreiband ; P H D, picked hoffs dreiband ; W P H D, white picked hoffs dreiband ; F P H D, fine picked hoffs dreiband ; W F P H D, white fine picked hoffs dreiband ; S F P H D, superior fine picked hoffs dreiband ; W S F P H D, white superior fine picked hoffs dreiband.

   The lower Riga flaxes are wrack ; W P W, white picked wrack ; P W, picked wrack ; G P W, grey picked wrack ; D, drei band ; L D, Livonian dreiband ; S D, Slanitz dreiband ; P D, picked dreiband ; P L D, picked Livonian dreiband ; P S D, picked Slanitz dreiband.    The S D and P S D qualities are distinguished as Lithuanian Slanitz, Wellish Slanitz, and Wiasma Slanitz, there being differences in the produce of the several districts.  SD, Slanitz Drieband and PSD, Picked Slanitz Drieband are dew-retted qualities of flax shipped from Riga either as Lithuanian Slanitz, Wellish Slanitz or Wiasma Slanitz, showing from what district they come, as there are big differences in the quality of the produce of each district. Codilla from Riga was classed as No. 2 & No. 3. The lowest grade of Riga flax was DW Drieband Wrack. Livonia carries on a large export trade, especially through Riga and Pernau, in petroleum, wool, oilcake, flax, linseed, hemp, grain, timber and wooden wares.  Riga became a centre for trade, intermediate between the Hanseatic towns and those of Novgorod, Pskov and Polotsk in Belarus via the Dvina river.

           Archangel 1795      Novgorodskoi 1780      Kronshtadt 1779

Our Project Member Jacek Staniszewski suggests these small seals

were used  for packages of postal documents, because those used for

Rye/Flax/Hemp/Flour/Railway and by Merchants are usually twice the size.