Punning box found among bric-a-brac makes four figure sum

Plucked from a box of bric-a-brac brought in for a general sale, a Commonwealth gilt brass sealing wax box sold for £5200 at Lawrences of Crewkerne. A clever pun gives a clue to its maker’s identity - and perhaps his political leanings.

Alongside the date 1653 and the name and seal of the owner, one Thomas Stanfall, a pricked inscrip…

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