Armorial seals are ordinarily embossed designs made use of to make a wax impression on documents and letters mainly to deter unauthorised opening or interference with those items. They can be picked up inexpensively at boot sales and flea markets, from sellers who don't know what they are or how substantially they are worth, and they can fetch very high rates on eBay. As extended as you know enough about them, of course, to permit you to invest in them for next to nothing at all and sell them for really very good earnings on eBay. These hints will help:
* From 1791 hallmarking became mandatory for silver and gold seals. So if your seal isn't hallmarked and you are positive it dates later than 1791 then you know it isn't silver or gold. Unlike exactly where your seal looks to date way back and isn't hallmarked, in which case it could date 1790 or earlier. If you happen to be unsure take it to a jeweler or gold merchant and have them identify its metal content for you.
* Seals can prove tremendously lucrative, notably any without hallmarks which deter gold and silver buyers who choose hallmarked metals. But the absence of a hallmark indicates your seal could date back centuries or have some equally collectable intrinsic worth that other people do not see. For instance, some fobs and rings have hidden seals which are overlooked by all but seasoned buyers. So folks who don't know the item is a seal might possibly spend ten or twenty pounds for it and charge just a few pounds a lot more for it on eBay (good arbitrage opportunity for you and me) those who do know the hidden worth will pay significantly a great deal more and expect a lot greater earnings as a outcome. Here's a tip: if a fob or ring has an unusually deep setting, such as a stone more than half an inch high or a very deep metal base, attempt searching for a lid that might possibly open to reveal the seal. But don't let anybody else - even sellers - see you do it, simply because the seal can add hundreds of pounds to an otherwise especially ordinary trinket.
* On eBay.UK and similarly on other nation web sites the majority of seals go beneath 'Collectables > Pens & Writing Gear > Seals', but they can be listed elsewhere according to age (listed as Antiques) or supplies they're created from (listed as silver or treen), occasionally focusing on their specific design (freemasonry, for example, or dogs), oftentimes according to original owner (listed below royalty, military regiment, and so on.). That quite often makes it a superior idea to list below two categories, which includes 'Collectables > Pens & Writing Gear > Seals' and one other category used for past completed sales of related items.
That is since items appealing to collectors of completely different interests can start out a bidding war that finds your seal fetching an unexpected high price tag.
* Size and measurements are imperative, which includes on rings men and women could decide to buy to wear. So for seals on rings and pendants, give precise measurements of finger size, as well as size of seals themselves to support potential purchasers judge comfort and wearability. Give measurements in inches and centimeters and show the seal against some popular item, such as a ruler.
* If you're up for the challenge, and you certainly must be, try researching coats of arms and initials and potentially add hundreds or even thousands of pounds to the worth of your seal. That is since a pretty ordinary looking seal may well be worth ten or twenty times alot more with imperative confirmed pedigree.
* 'Coat of Arms' is regularly implemented interchangeably with 'Family Crest', despite the fact that the two are not generally the similar factor. Nonetheless, you should really use both terms in eBay listings and search for each in auction catalogues and other purchasing sources. This way you will attract more bidders to your eBay listing and make sure you don't miss out on important goods to order below marketplace value.
* From my standard study, it appears Scottish seals are far more collectable than from other topographical places, as well as being a lot more comprehensively documented in books and web-sites. That tends to make it a wonderful concept to concentrate initially on Scottish armorial seals, specially if you purchase them inexpensive enough and know they regularly fetch very high prices on eBay. Then use the knowledge gained on Scottish seals to venture into obtaining and promoting seals from other locations.
