100 sheets of stolen vellum

[Koen G]

I honestly wouldn't know how to tell the grade of parchment from just a picture, unless there are obvious flaws like holes or irregular edges. (Also keeping in mind that a deteriorated condition of parchment could be the result of later damage or excessive use).

Regarding the funding question, I just don't think it's possible for us to draw any major conclusions about the VM's maker's socio-economic status based on the quality of parchment they decided to use. Since when do people always buy the most expensive item they can afford? When my electric drill breaks down, I could afford an expensive one, but why would I spend that kind of money when a cheap one does exactly what I need?

I don't think we should assume that this quality of parchment was the best they could afford, or the best they had available to them. Maybe this was simply good enough - it's the kind of thing you can get away with when you're not making the product for a rich patron.

This leaves three options, which I think are equally likely:

* They were unable to obtain better parchment (isolated community).
* They were unable to afford better parchment (limited financial means).
* They did not find it necessary to use better parchment (why spend extra money when cheaper will do just fine?)