Acts of Thomas 2: and agreed with him for three litrae of silver unstamped
What does "silver unstamped" mean? Does it mean a piece of silver?
Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. It only takes a minute to sign up.Sign up to join this community
Thanks for the question; it was an interesting search.
SELECTIONS FROM THE GREEK PAPYRI (1912)
...Seizing my lamp, he went up into my house, and stole and carried off a pair of bracelets of unstamped silver of the weight of 40 drachmas,...
Footnote: 32. …’unstamped’: hence constantly in the papyri to denote a man ‘not distinguished’ from his neighbours by any convenient marks (e.g. P. Oxy. 73.29 (A.D. 94))….Found in a metaphorical sense in Ac. xxi 39.
There are also 3 instances in "The vocabulary of the Greek Testament illustrated from the papyri and other non-literary sources" (Moulton and Milligan 1929)
The earliest silversmiths in the colonies used their initials. Many makers used their last name, or first initial and last name. Pseudo-hallmarks were used about 1800. They were meant to mislead the public into believing that the silver was of English origin. Many unmarked pieces of American silver were made by 1825.
The Princeton Review (1881)
“Stamped silver would by force of law be exchangeable for stamped gold, as stamped paper is now; but unstamped silver, like unstamped paper, would have to take its chances in the market.”
Wiki "Silver Hallmarks"
A silver object that is to be sold commercially is, in most countries, stamped with one or more silver hallmarks indicating the purity of the silver, the mark of the manufacturer or silversmith, and other (optional) markings to indicate date of manufacture and additional information about the piece. In some countries, the testing of silver objects and marking of purity is controlled by a national assayer's office.
Hallmarks are applied with a hammer and punch, a process that leaves sharp edges and spurs of metal. Therefore, hallmarking is generally done before the piece goes for its final polishing.