Albany NY ARCHITECT Stamp??

[BaDONK]

Found these items while digging a foundation a few miles from my house with other misc. assorted homestead items. The house was there from approx late 1700's through late 1800's according to maps and these two items were about 12-18" down in different spots. (I have a Tesoro Vaquero and if I had known how deep it detected I would have ordered the longer Predator shovel......). The first item states "Walter Dickson ARCHITECT Albany NY". I would guess this to be some sort of stamp for plans of some sort as it is inverted?? It is 1" x 1.5" and 1/4" thick not including the peg sticking out of the back and appears to be bronze.
The other item appears to be some sort of hand engraved tag, but the writing appears very old. From what I can make out it is some sort of silver or pewter plate over steel? (due to the rust?). The writing is beautiful and from what I can read says "Wright (U or V not sure) XXXXXX (X's are the illegible part) Schenectady NY" It is 5/8" x 4" and there is no writing on the reverse.
Could this be some sort of trunk tag or something?? Any help is appreciated in advance and thank you!!

http://img862.imageshack.us/i/picture149.jpg/
http://img821.imageshack.us/i/picture150y.jpg/
http://img824.imageshack.us/i/picture151t.jpg/
http://img197.imageshack.us/i/picture152a.jpg/
http://img714.imageshack.us/i/picture153c.jpg/
http://img263.imageshack.us/i/picture154kf.jpg/

 

[gadigger81]

It's kinda hard to tell but are the letters in the first raised? If they are I would say a stamp. The second I would say defiantly some kind of fancy tag. Could be to a trunk. Nice finds!! (This Walter Dickson guy has done some impressive architect work!)

 

[BaDONK]

The lettering is engraved in on the Architect stamp. I was thinking it would be for paper (kinda similar to my wifes notary stamp). Not too sure as I have never seen any this old. Dickson it appears left Albany in the late 1800's and died in 1903. Yes, as I have done a bit more research I see he did a lot of work in Albany (the Albany Post Office being one) and something about the immigration center on Ellis Island after he moved to NYC.

 

[Bramblefind]

Welcome to the board! Those are some great finds. I looked up Walter Dickson in the City Directories and he seems to have always lived in the center of Albany and I would guess that is likely not where you are digging. It might be worthwhile to research your site history - it sounds like it might be very interesting.

I wish I could make out the rest of the Schenectady tag. I know a little about the Wright family in Schenectady in the early 1900s but I'm not sure if Wright is a first or last name on that tag. I sometimes think I am reading "Wright V. King" but I haven't found a match for anyone by that name in Schenectady.

 

[Iron Patch]

Interesting find.

 

[Dan Smith]

BaDONK, Do you still have the Walter Dickson stamp?

Dan

 

[stefen]

I beleive you have found 1/2 of the stamp die...

Like my architects seal, it comes in 2 pieces, a negative and a positive...when used, the seal will leave a raised or embossed impression...

Sometimes the base is brass and the upper half is made of lead...

Today, the architect (or engineers) seal is simply a rubber stamp or an AutoCad (Computer Aided Drafting) symbol...the expiration date changes anywheres from 1 year to 4 years, depending on the State License Board.

Licensing of architects and engineers didn't come about until the turn of the century...prior to that time, a design professional was recognized by a Professional Organization such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Society of Military Engineers (SAME), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the like....He was inducted as a Fellow (FAIA) in 1877...

You might contact the Board of Architects (Registration) and AIA to see if they have any historic records of NY State licensure / registration...