Letter of Marque

[PoD]

Just thought i'd post some pictures of the Letter of Marque I made earlier this year:

Its based on a couple of different letters of marque as I couldnt find one that was actually a George the First issue. The overall look is inspired by a William the Third Letter of marque while the caligraphy at the top if based on a George the Third version of the document. The text (apart from the very bottom bit) is from a 1703 Letter of Marque that Queen Anne issued.

[RIPP Tar]

Very Cool

[Joe Pyrat]

Do you have an online source for the Queen Anne LoM?

Extremely nice work mate.

[Commodore Swab]

MMMMM Beautiful work, I want.

[j8ksdad]

Beautiful!

[oderlesseye]

Eye could use a few of those!

[LadyBrower]

Wow, that's beautiful! How did you make the text, by hand or computer? And did you make the wallet thing (sorry, I don't know the proper term) from scratch, or was it purchased? If so, where? =) I love it!

[PoD]

Do you have an online source for the Queen Anne LoM?

The text off various letters of marque are on this site http://zeerovery.nl/history/marque2.htm

Wow, that's beautiful! How did you make the text, by hand or computer? And did you make the wallet thing (sorry, I don't know the proper term) from scratch, or was it purchased? If so, where? =) I love it!

I made it on a computer (I knew that desktop publishing course would come in handy one day). A lot of the actual calligraphy was drawn in an illustration package then its printed on parchment velum paper that I print an aged pattern onto. The seals are real wax and I had a King George coat of arms made into a seal stamp. The wallet i made myself from leather and pressed brass decorations.

I had them up on ebay for a while for £30 selling them as custom letters of marque that I put the buyers name and the name and type of their ship on, but as I only sold a few I took them off until I can get my own shop site up and running. I just have the actual letter up on ebay now without the leather folder for £10.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160339490511

[Mission]

Very nice.

I wonder what the paper would have looked like, say...after a few months at sea? I'm guessing we age and yellow stuff because that's how we see it today, but what might it have actually looked like then?

Perhaps someone has taken a piece of paper made like they did then and tried carrying it about at sea for a few months - probably locked away amidst the ships papers?

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Very nice.

I wonder what the paper would have looked like, say...after a few months at sea? I'm guessing we age and yellow stuff because that's how we see it today, but what might it have actually looked like then?

Perhaps someone has taken a piece of paper made like they did then and tried carrying it about at sea for a few months - probably locked away amidst the ships papers?

Actually, I don't think you would see much in the way of yellow or age at all. Remember that in those days, even up to the Civil war, Paper was made of 'Rag' content, not wood pulp. The process and idea for making paper from wood pulp only came into being in 1844, at first in Germany, and thus is way out of our period. It is the wood pulp based papers that yellow and become brittle with age, not true rag content paper. The yellowing and brittleness that is found in old wood pulp paper is due to the residual acid that is left in the paper from the process, you can preserve wood pulp paper (newspaper articles, etc) by treating them with something like Pepto Bismol or another ant-acid, it's true. Books printed on rag based paper before the civil war are in better shape today than books printed on wood pulp from the 1970's. So really, anything on paper, should be a good linen rag content paper or other period style paper, not wood pulp for GAOP

[Littleneckhalfshell]

A second thought on Paper, I seem to remember while looking at information on hemp rope and hemp canvas, that they said that the Declaration of Independence was printed on Hemp based paper, so there is another choice. Hemp canvas, hemp clothing, all yield the raw material for the paper maker when they wear out and are no longer useful for their original intent, they become rags. The rag collector was a trade that supplied the paper maker with what he needed to make his paper pulp. No wonder paper was so expensive in those days.

[PoD]

A second thought on Paper, I seem to remember while looking at information on hemp rope and hemp canvas, that they said that the Declaration of Independence was printed on Hemp based paper, so there is another choice. Hemp canvas, hemp clothing, all yield the raw material for the paper maker when they wear out and are no longer useful for their original intent, they become rags. The rag collector was a trade that supplied the paper maker with what he needed to make his paper pulp. No wonder paper was so expensive in those days.

Thats very interesting. I have some linen embossed paper that i might try printing one on then as i imagine that will look more authentic.

[LadyBarbossa]

We do with what we can in this day and age with what we have.

But that is a fabulous document, PoD. Kudos.

~Lady B

[Mission]

Actually, if Littleneckhalfshell is right and the paper should be more white than yellow, I still don't think you'd want it to look like that. It's not what people expect. You're better off to make it look like what they expect if you're going to sell them.

It was just something I was wondering about.

[Niko]

A second thought on Paper, I seem to remember while looking at information on hemp rope and hemp canvas, that they said that the Declaration of Independence was printed on Hemp based paper, so there is another choice. Hemp canvas, hemp clothing, all yield the raw material for the paper maker when they wear out and are no longer useful for their original intent, they become rags. The rag collector was a trade that supplied the paper maker with what he needed to make his paper pulp. No wonder paper was so expensive in those days.

I did a paper on hemp for one of my English classes and printed it on hemp paper.

Its great stuff really has a nice feel to it...

If anyone is interested I got my paper from these guys Green Field Paper

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Found this on the net regarding the Declaration of Independence, from last year. Attached was a picture of the traveling document. http://www.startribune.com/photos/?c=y&amp...declaration.jpg It looks real good for something that is over 233 years old.

Declaration of Independence, picture

Rare copy of Declaration of Independence on display in Minnesota today

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: May 6, 2008 - 7:59 AM

Declaration of Independence

Minnesota History Center

A rare, original copy of the Declaration of Independence goes on display today in Minnesota.

The document will be part of a display at the Minnesota History Center, starting this morning until May 18 as part of Minnesota Statehood Week, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of Minnesota becoming the 32nd state.

This copy, known as a "Dunlap Broadside," is one of only 25 remaining original copies printed on the evening of July 4, 1776, at the shop of Philadelphia printer John Dunlap - and the only one that travels for exhibition. Another copy was sent to Gen. George Washington, who read it aloud to his troops. Still another copy was sent to England's King George III.

The document is valued at more than $8 million.

The Declaration will be on display for free public viewing at the Minnesota History Center.

[BlaggardMike]

If anyone is interested I got my paper from these guys Green Field Paper

This is great. Hemp is the way to go for any paper prop

[MadL]

Not GAoP but kinda interesting (plus t' put me two bits in), th' UPS Store near me be sell'n paper what looks just like that hemp paper, only it be made from.....elephant dung (aye, that be what th' package says "made from elephant dung")

Anyone want added t' me Christmas card list?

[Cascabel]

Not GAoP but kinda interesting (plus t' put me two bits in), th' UPS Store near me be sell'n paper what looks just like that hemp paper, only it be made from.....elephant dung (aye, that be what th' package says "made from elephant dung")

Anyone want added t' me Christmas card list?

Aha !!! I always wondered what elephants used for toilet paper......

[Fox]

The condition of old paper can be entirely determined by the circumstances of its storage. The photograph below is of a loose leaf from a book in my possession printed in 1710. The middle section is still relatively tough and has not been too discoloured, while the edges which have been more exposed have browned and are brittle.

I've found the same to be true handling documents from the period. Pages of bound volumes tend to be in reasonably good condition, while loose sheets in bundles are often discoloured and brittle around the edges.

Most letters of marque I've handled though have been written on vellum, which has entirely different characteristics.

[Capt. Sterling]

Why is it that we make everything look old? Obviously things were new at one point in time....

[MadL]

Aye, I must concur with Capt Sterling. As I began approaching some o' me new clothing and other articles it occurred t' me; "Why would I want this t' look like it be 300 year old when I tell people I am 'living' in era? Am I time traveler or something?"

I think the more correct approach would be t' make it look 'Weathered' not 'old' or 'aged'.

Items I hang on th' wall me modern home would be 'old, ragged, and aged' but stuff in me kit should be 'worn, weathered, and lived in'.

[Joe Pyrat]

Aye mates, totally agree.

When I started out I was thinking I needed to age my gear, but the more I thought about it and talked to others, the more what you are saying seemed to become obvious.

[Caraccioli]

I think people make things like the Letters of the Mark look old because that's what's expected by the masses. If PoD wants to sell his letters on eBay, he's probably well advised to make them look old because I suspect most people there would want to buy that versus one that looked new. (OTOH, he could try selling it without aging and see what happens...eBay auctions are neat way to do such marketing experimentation on the cheap.)

Although that was actually my original thought when I asked what paper would actually look like after being at sea for a couple of months. I can't believe all paper completely yellowed to the tea stained color in such short periods of time.

[PoD]

I think people make things like the Letters of the Mark look old because that's what's expected by the masses. If PoD wants to sell his letters on eBay, he's probably well advised to make them look old because I suspect most people there would want to buy that versus one that looked new. (OTOH, he could try selling it without aging and see what happens...eBay auctions are neat way to do such marketing experimentation on the cheap.)

Although that was actually my original thought when I asked what paper would actually look like after being at sea for a couple of months. I can't believe all paper completely yellowed to the tea stained color in such short periods of time.

Yeah I have been thinking of doing a "cleaner" version of it. I was wondering what kind of stains it would get vrom say getting wet in a pocket or being exposed to gunsmoke. I would assume it would just be worn around the edges and on the parts where water would leak into the wallet. It's easy enough to do a new looking version as the paper ageing is just a scanned image so i'd just leave that off.