Governments, universities, and other organizations commissioned silversmiths to supply official silver, such as seals with which to stamp important documents. Surviving records in Marbletown, New York, indicate that the silversmith Jacob Boelen was hired in 1704 to make the town seal. In the upper register of its shield are two deer, symbolizing the mountainous hunting region around Marbletown. In the lower register, three sheaves of wheat allude to the surrounding lowland, fertile and well suited to the cultivation of grain. The town's name and motto, "BE JUST. / TO TRUST," are engraved around the edges.

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