diff --git a/ocfl-validate.py b/ocfl-validate.py
index 30e1d9c..f5653ec 100755
--- a/ocfl-validate.py
+++ b/ocfl-validate.py
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ for path in args.path:
         obj = ocfl.Object(lax_digests=args.lax_digests)
         if obj.validate_inventory(path,
                                   show_warnings=show_warnings,
-                                  show_errors=not args.very_quiet):
+                                  show_errors=not args.very_quiet,
+                                  extract_spec_version=True):
             num_good += 1
     else:
         log.error("Bad path %s (%s)", path, path_type)
diff --git a/ocfl/data/validation-errors.json b/ocfl/data/validation-errors.json
index 7d1002b..fe8f676 100644
--- a/ocfl/data/validation-errors.json
+++ b/ocfl/data/validation-errors.json
@@ -184,12 +184,24 @@
        "en": "OCFL Object %s inventory id `%s` does not match the value in the root inventory `%s`"
     }
   },
-  "E038": {
+  "E038a": {
     "params": ["where", "expected", "got"],
     "description": {
        "en": "OCFL Object %s inventory `type` attribute has wrong value (expected %s, got %s)"
     }
   },
+  "E038b": {
+    "params": ["where", "got", "assumed_spec_version"],
+    "description": {
+       "en": "OCFL Object %s inventory `type` attribute does not look like a valid specification URI (got %s), will proceed as if using version %s"
+    }
+  },
+  "E038c": {
+    "params": ["where", "got", "assumed_spec_version"],
+    "description": {
+       "en": "OCFL Object %s inventory `type` attribute has an unsupported specification version number (%s), will proceed as if using version %s"
+    }
+  },
   "E039": {
     "params": ["where", "digest_algorithm"],
     "description": {
diff --git a/ocfl/inventory_validator.py b/ocfl/inventory_validator.py
index cb702db..6684155 100644
--- a/ocfl/inventory_validator.py
+++ b/ocfl/inventory_validator.py
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ class InventoryValidator():
         self.head = 'UNKNOWN'
         # Validation control
         self.lax_digests = lax_digests
+        # Configuration
+        self.spec_versions_supported = ('1.0', '1.1')
 
     def error(self, code, **args):
         """Error with added context."""
@@ -57,8 +59,13 @@ class InventoryValidator():
         """Warning with added context."""
         self.log.warning(code, where=self.where, **args)
 
-    def validate(self, inventory):
-        """Validate a given inventory."""
+    def validate(self, inventory, extract_spec_version=False):
+        """Validate a given inventory.
+
+        If extract_spec_version is True then will look at the type value to determine
+        the specification version. In the case that there is no type value or it isn't
+        valid, then other tests will be based on the version given in self.spec_version.
+        """
         # Basic structure
         self.inventory = inventory
         if 'id' in inventory:
@@ -75,8 +82,18 @@ class InventoryValidator():
             self.error("E036a")
         if 'type' not in inventory:
             self.error("E036b")
+        elif not isinstance(inventory['type'], str):
+            self.error("E999")
+        elif extract_spec_version:
+            m = re.match(r'''https://ocfl.io/(\d+.\d)/spec/#inventory''', inventory['type'])
+            if not m:
+                self.error('E038b', got=inventory['type'], assumed_spec_version=self.spec_version)
+            elif m.group(1) in self.spec_versions_supported:
+                self.spec_version = m.group(1)
+            else:
+                self.error("E038c", got=m.group(1), assumed_spec_version=self.spec_version)
         elif inventory['type'] != 'https://ocfl.io/' + self.spec_version + '/spec/#inventory':
-            self.error("E038", expected='https://ocfl.io/' + self.spec_version + '/spec/#inventory', got=inventory['type'])
+            self.error("E038a", expected='https://ocfl.io/' + self.spec_version + '/spec/#inventory', got=inventory['type'])
         if 'digestAlgorithm' not in inventory:
             self.error("E036c")
         elif inventory['digestAlgorithm'] == 'sha512':
diff --git a/ocfl/object.py b/ocfl/object.py
index 83b3e74..e8fb726 100755
--- a/ocfl/object.py
+++ b/ocfl/object.py
@@ -532,14 +532,14 @@ class Object():
             self.log.info("OCFL object at %s is INVALID", objdir)
         return passed
 
-    def validate_inventory(self, path, show_warnings=True, show_errors=True):
+    def validate_inventory(self, path, show_warnings=True, show_errors=True, extract_spec_version=False):
         """Validate just an OCFL Object inventory at path."""
         validator = Validator(show_warnings=show_warnings,
                               show_errors=show_errors)
         try:
             (inv_dir, inv_file) = fs.path.split(path)
             validator.obj_fs = open_fs(inv_dir, create=False)
-            validator.validate_inventory(inv_file, where='standalone')
+            validator.validate_inventory(inv_file, where='standalone', extract_spec_version=extract_spec_version)
         except fs.errors.ResourceNotFound:
             validator.log.error('E033', where='standalone', explanation='failed to open directory')
         except ValidatorAbortException:
diff --git a/ocfl/validator.py b/ocfl/validator.py
index 060c1dc..6fc3dc1 100644
--- a/ocfl/validator.py
+++ b/ocfl/validator.py
@@ -132,12 +132,17 @@ class Validator():
             pass
         return self.log.num_errors == 0
 
-    def validate_inventory(self, inv_file, where='root'):
+    def validate_inventory(self, inv_file, where='root', extract_spec_version=False):
         """Validate a given inventory file, record errors with self.log.error().
 
         Returns inventory object for use in later validation
         of object content. Does not look at anything else in the
         object itself.
+
+        where - used for reporting messages of where inventory is in object
+
+        extract_spec_version - if set True will attempt to take spec_version from the
+            inventory itself instead of using the spec_version provided
         """
         try:
             with self.obj_fs.openbin(inv_file, 'r') as fh:
@@ -148,7 +153,7 @@ class Validator():
         inv_validator = InventoryValidator(log=self.log, where=where,
                                            lax_digests=self.lax_digests,
                                            spec_version=self.spec_version)
-        inv_validator.validate(inventory)
+        inv_validator.validate(inventory, extract_spec_version=extract_spec_version)
         return inventory, inv_validator
 
     def validate_inventory_digest(self, inv_file, digest_algorithm, where="root"):

diff --git a/tests/test_inventory_validator.py b/tests/test_inventory_validator.py
index f8f53e3..56081c6 100644
--- a/tests/test_inventory_validator.py
+++ b/tests/test_inventory_validator.py
@@ -68,8 +68,14 @@ class TestAll(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn('W004', log.warns)
         log.clear()
         iv.validate({"id": "like:uri", "type": "wrong type", "digestAlgorithm": "my_digest"})
-        self.assertIn('E038', log.errors)
+        self.assertIn('E038a', log.errors)
         self.assertIn('E039', log.errors)
+        log.clear()
+        iv.validate({"id": "like:uri", "type": "wrong type", "digestAlgorithm": "my_digest"}, extract_spec_version=True)
+        self.assertIn('E038b', log.errors)
+        log.clear()
+        iv.validate({"id": "like:uri", "type": "https://ocfl.io/100.9/spec/#inventory", "digestAlgorithm": "my_digest"}, extract_spec_version=True)
+        self.assertIn('E038c', log.errors)
         iv = InventoryValidator(log=log, lax_digests=True)
         log.clear()
         iv.validate({"id": "like:uri", "type": "wrong type", "digestAlgorithm": "my_digest"})

Fix handling of spec version in standalone inventory check
To replicate example:
```
(py38) simeon@RottenApple ocfl-py> ./ocfl-validate.py extra_fixtures/1.1/good-objects/empty_fixity
INFO:ocfl.object:OCFL object at extra_fixtures/1.1/good-objects/empty_fixity is VALID
(py38) simeon@RottenApple ocfl-py> ./ocfl-validate.py extra_fixtures/1.1/good-objects/empty_fixity/inventory.json
[E038] OCFL Object standalone inventory `type` attribute has wrong value (see https://ocfl.io/1.0/spec/#E038)
INFO:ocfl.object:Standalone OCFL inventory at extra_fixtures/1.1/good-objects/empty_fixity/inventory.json is INVALID
```

Inventory is good, it is just v1.1
tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_validate
tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_bad_inventory_files tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_check_content_path tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_check_digests_present_and_used tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_check_logical_path tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_compare_states_for_version tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_digest_regex tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_init tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_validate_as_prior_version tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_validate_fixity tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_validate_manifest tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_validate_state_block tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_validate_version_sequence tests/test_inventory_validator.py::TestAll::test_validate_versions