Seal
a piece of wax bearing the impression made by a die. The name is given also to the die with which the impression is made. Sealingwax is made of various materials. Beeswax, shellac, Venetian red, turpentine, and resin are common materials. Vermilion is a favorite pigment. The face of a die or seal resembles usually that of a coin. Formerly the seal took the form of a signet ring, the die being cut on a raised portion of the metal or preferably on the gem with which the ring was ornamented. Letters and other documents were fastened with tape, the ends of which were brought together and imbedded in a piece of wax on which the die was impressed. It was impossible to open such a packet without either cutting the string or breaking the seal. The letters which Cicero's guards took from Catiline's messengers were sealed in this way. During the Middle Ages it was customary to authenticate documents by attaching seals to them, appended usually by the aid of a string. Later the wax was laid on the paper and stamped. At the present time the seal has degenerated into an impression made by the notary's stamp in the paper itself. To documents of dignity and importance, however, as passports and other state papers, the formality of affixing a red or blue disc of paper is still observed. Within the remembrance of people still living, the envelope of ordinary correspondence were fastened with sealingwax or wafers. The custom is still permissible for polite correspondence, but, in general, letter seals have been superseded by gummed edges.
