Stamp piston

The emergence of new crafts was linked with market needs. In the second half of the 18th century, due to wigs and stockings becoming fashionable as staples of the male and female garments, wigmakers and hosiers appeared on the market. In the mid-18th century there were so many hosiers in Szczecin that it became necessary to establish a new guild. The seal of the Szczecin hosiers has a rare elliptical shape, resulting from the objects depicted on it. In the central part there was an eagle holding a stocking in its talons and an object which was probably a device used for their production. The eagle is undoubtedly a reference to the heraldry of the Brandenburg-Prussian state. The year was interwoven between the various elements of the guild seal, while the inscription on the rim informs that the seal belongs to the Szczecin Hosiers Guild. The seal has no handle. Given its good shape, it is possible that it might never have been used.

Mieszko Pawłowski