Some antique silver pieces announce themselves through size or ornament. Others are quieter. This small sterling silver wax seal belongs to the second kind: personal, intimate and beautifully scaled, made to sit in the hand and leave a single letter impressed into wax.
Hallmarked SM&C for S. Mordan & Co., and assayed in Chester in 1907, this Edwardian silver seal carries the letter M within a neat circular border. It is a small piece, but one with a lovely sense of private ceremony.
A Seal for a Single Initial
The seal face measures approximately 13mm in diameter. At its centre is a raised letter M, measuring approximately 5mm high by 5mm wide, surrounded by a circular border of approximately 10mm in diameter.
That simplicity is part of its charm. Rather than a complex crest or elaborate armorial engraving, the seal is devoted to one initial. It feels personal without being grand, elegant without being showy. For a collector, or for someone whose name begins with M, it has the feeling of a found keepsake.
Small Silver, Beautifully Held
The seal stands approximately 34mm high. The hollow silver handle has a rounded form and measures approximately 14mm in diameter at its widest point. Because the handle is hollow, the whole piece weighs only approximately 5 grams.
This lightness gives the seal a delicate quality. It is not a heavy desk piece, but a small personal silver piece: the sort of thing that might have lived beside folded correspondence, a writing box, a dressing table tray or a private drawer.
Hallmarked Chester 1907
The hallmark places the seal in Chester, 1907, with the maker’s mark SM&C for S. Mordan & Co.. By this period, the Mordan name was already long associated with finely made personal silver, writing pieces and small useful luxuries.
That makes this seal especially attractive as part of the wider Sampson Mordan story. It is not one of the larger, more elaborate silver inventions for which the house is often remembered, but something more intimate: a small silver accessory connected with handwriting, correspondence and personal identity.
Condition and Character
The seal has been professionally cleaned and polished, and presents beautifully for its age. The silver is bright, the seal face is clear, and the letter M remains distinct.
As expected with an antique hollow silver handle, there are some remaining marks and light dents. These are part of the piece’s history rather than a distraction from it. They remind us that this was not made merely to be stored away, but to be handled, kept and used.
A Personal Piece of Mordan Silver
Today, this small silver wax seal can be appreciated in several ways. It may be collected as an example of S. Mordan & Co. silver, displayed as part of a writing or desk collection, or chosen as a personal gift for someone connected to the letter M.
Its appeal lies in the meeting of maker, material and initial. A little sterling silver seal, hallmarked in Chester in 1907, carrying a single letter from another age of private notes, sealed envelopes and beautiful small rituals.
Details
- Maker: S. Mordan & Co.
- Maker’s mark: SM&C
- Assay office: Chester
- Date: 1907
- Material: Sterling silver
- Type: Wax seal
- Initial: Letter M
- Height: Approximately 34mm
- Handle diameter: Approximately 14mm at widest point
- Seal face diameter: Approximately 13mm
- Letter M size: Approximately 5mm high x 5mm wide
- Circular border: Approximately 10mm diameter
- Weight: Approximately 5 grams
- Condition: Professionally cleaned and polished; good antique condition with some age-related marks and light dents to the hollow handle
