To many, the small, circular symbols project an air of sophistication and class, their delicate, colorful presence conjuring thoughts of royalty and refinement. Even today, they’re sometimes ...

They conjure images of peasant vignerons of yore carefully hand-dipping bottles in molten wax, creating a seal that protects the cork from the ravages of time and rodents in the cellar.

The money will be shared between George Henderson and the farmer who owns the land in Suffolk, East Anglia, where the seal was found. Used by medieval priests in the 13th century to put wax seals ...