American Sealing Wax Box, C. 1870 - Aug 10, 2014 | Louis J. Dianni, Llc In Ny
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American Sealing Wax Box, C. 1870

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American Sealing Wax Box, C. 1870
American Sealing Wax Box, C. 1870
Item Details
Description

Box for sealing wax
Material: Brass
Construction: Cast brass
Features: This round box is made entirely of brass. Along the lid are 24 stars in a circle with 13 more encircled by clouds in the main image. Below the stars is the banner reading "E. Plurbis Unum," which floats above the head of the American Eagle with the arrows and the olive branch clasped in its talons.
Style: Late 1800s
Period: C. 1870
Size: H. 1.25x W. 5.25x D. 5.25"
Weight: 1lbs 0.4oz
Condition: Very light patina on the outside of the box, with a more heavy coating on the base of the inside of the box. No dents or damage done to the form of the box.
History: In the 19th century, sealing wax was a material made by the melting of lac or rosin with turpentine and pigments. In it's earliest forms it would have been made of beeswax and resin. The sealing wax was used to "seal" the letters or envelopes, with or without a wafer. During the early to mid 19th century the use of the wafer became popular in less formal correspondence. Often times people would imprint their sealing wax with initials, coat of arms, or other insignia as their personal mark on the sealing wax. With the onset of gummed envelopes, however, sealing wax and wafers eventually took a brief repose. By the 1870s few were using sealing wax, wafers and folded letters without envelopes. In the 1880's sealing wax was confined to those courtly correspondences, express parcels containing valuables for security, money parcels sent by express or foreign dispatches. However, you also always had those who of the "old school" still used it in all formal letters and notes. It was seen that sealing wax in the 1880s was more commonly used in Great Britain than in America. But it began to gain acceptance and popularity again, especially in America, in the 1880s and 1890s.
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American Sealing Wax Box, C. 1870

Estimate $200 - $400
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Starting Price $100
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Item located in Garrison, NY, us
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LOUIS J. DIANNI, LLC

LOUIS J. DIANNI, LLC

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