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Passed down to me is a small but heavy "gold looking" seal with a pocket inside with wax i think. a lady at the local chinese shop said it Had the stmbol for "Day" & "B" or "D" inscribide on the side in fancy writing. it also says 18th year of ?. i'm not too sure what this is or if it's solid gold. the stamp weighs 1 3/4 ounces. iave sent some low rez pics for you too look at. will send high res if interested. curious about it's worth and histroy if you could help me out. i would much appreciate it. Thankyou

First, from the case, I suspect that it will turn out to be Japanese not Chinese.

Second, the pictures are low res - very low res. So if you would like more information you will need to post clearer pictures.

Third, the general style and size also indicate the more likely probability that it is Japanese.

Finally, the date (18th year of ...) will most probably turn out to be Showa 18, or 1944. This date would be also consistent with the style of the case.

The red material is not wax but seal ink (in Chinese 'yin ni' or seal mud; in Japanese "chuniku' or red flesh).

It is most likely to be a mixture of boiled vegetable oil, a fibre (usually artemesia) and mercuric sulphide - cinnebar, which gives it its red colour) If you add no more than one tiny drop of a fine vegetable oil (mustard seed oil is good) and gently stir it, working it back into a maleable paste, you will be able to use it to print with your seal.

High just some clearer pics i post a long time ago hopefully this helps

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