This early Victorian wax seal fob features an black glass intaglio of a tortoise beneath the words “Excuse Haste.” This intaglio - undoubtably a reference to Aesop's famous fable of the tortoise and the hare as well as a tongue-in-cheek witticism implying that the sender was slow to reply - was meant to be pressed into hot wax to create a decorative seal for correspondence in the days before gummed envelopes.
MATERIALS: gold-cased base metal, black "tassie" glass, new 14k gold chain
AGE: c. 1940
CONDITION: Good - some rubbing to the glass seal; gold casing is mostly worn away
SIZE: 1/2" x 3/8", 18" chain