finger tattoos

[SCCheshire]

Does anyone know the significance of a black dot tattoo'd on each finger?

[jojojojoanne]

hi,
this maybe me being sinister, but i presumed (i know that this is not an perfectly informed opinion,though what is? therefore equivilent to ignorance) but i presumed i read somewhere once that it could be linked to drug culture. maybe as in society a lot of cultural superficialities have unlikely origins or surprising origins, if you trace the history. obv this could be unrelated but maybe you could research the history of ink and tatoos and decoration of the body.

[SCCheshire]

Many thanks for speedy reply. You could be right. I have done quite a bit of research, but came up with nothing. The question came from my elderly neighbour who saw the markings on the hand of a middle-aged, well groomed and well spoken man. He cold called asking for any antiques for sale. She gave him some business and is now worried!!!

[SHEHE]

Think it's something to do with contempt for the police , seems to ring a bell .

[SCCheshire]

Interesting! I will pass the info on to my neighbour. I don't suppose she'll see the salesman again, but if she does she will see him in a different light!! Thanks for the help.

[snug]

They were probably done whilst he was doing time. The dot on the cheek is a Borstal spot. Anybody knocking on doors and asking about antiques should be treated with the deepest suspicion. Especially if they seem to target the elderly even though it seems a random call it probably wasn't. Did he call on you for example?

[Metz]

When i was young it meant "all coppers are b@st@rds" not sure if it's changed since then :o)

[SCCheshire]

Great answers, thanks very much. You knowledgeable people make me feel very naive! He did call on me, but I have an unmoveable policy that I never accept any cold calls. My neighbour noticed the marks when he was giving her the cash from a wad of �20 notes, the like of which she had never seen before!!! She won't be able to sleep in her bed at night if I told her everything I now know, for he might come back!! He did say he would like the little antique table she had.