The cases are both chased with scrolls, lobes and flowers, one with a figure finial, the other with a camel finial; maker’s mark S.J., London, 1893 and The Goldsmiths’ and Silversmiths’ Company, London, 1899, length 20.3cm and 19cm.
One has a small compartment for the vestas, or matches, used to melt the sealing wax.
From the Middle Ages onward, sealing wax was used to secure folded letters.
When envelopes came into use in the mid 19th Century, they were initially ungummed and the practice of applying sealing wax, to ensure that the letter was read only by the person to whom it was addressed, continued.
