--- title: "A Brief History of the Trust Seal: When Broken Wax Meant Broken Trust" description: Wax seals have been a symbol of authority and trust at least since 1215, when King John of England affixed a large wax seal to approve the Magna Carta. image: https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/wax%20seal.jpg --- [![Trust Signals Trademark](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/) - [About](https://www.trustsignals.com/about) - [Book](https://book.trustsignals.com) - [Blog](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Rankings](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/rankings) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [ << Back to Blog ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) [Trust Research & Analysis](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/trust-research-analysis) # A Brief History of the Trust Seal: When Broken Wax Meant Broken Trust ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ###### Scott Baradell **Published:** Oct 22, 2020 **Last Updated:** Nov 23, 2021 ###### Share [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-trust-seal-when-broken-wax-meant-broken-trust%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-trust-seal-when-broken-wax-meant-broken-trust&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/wax%20seal.jpg](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-trust-seal-when-broken-wax-meant-broken-trust%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-trust-seal-when-broken-wax-meant-broken-trust&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/wax%20seal.jpg) "[Trust seals](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-seals-from-medieval-kings-to-ecommerce)" is another term for [trust badges](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-is-a-trust-badge). If you search for "trust seals" on Google, you'll see that it comes up 68,000 times, mostly in reference to website assurances of security, fast shipping and more. You might also notice that [many website trust seals](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-badges-work-and-we-have-the-receipts-to-prove-it) have the look of a different kind of seal: a wax seal.  Below is an example downloaded from Shutterstock, but you can find thousands of others online. ![wax trust seal](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/wax%20trust%20seal.jpg?width=408&name=wax%20trust%20seal.jpg) Wax seals have been used for centuries to seal documents. Over time, embossed seals came to symbolize formality and authenticity in documents and correspondence. Seals have a rich history that dates back to the civilizations of the Indus Valley and Mesopotamia. During this period, the first seals were formulated with clay. A small round cylinder, engraved with written characters, would be used to roll an impression onto the clay while it was still wet.   In the Middle Ages, wax seals came into common use among royals, bishops, and government officials to authenticate  official documents. Famously, King John of England affixed a large wax seal to agree to the Magna Carta in 1215. By the latter part of the 13th century, all segments of European society were using seals, both for business purposes and personal messages such as proclamations of love. This history explains how the wax seal came to be associated with trustworthiness. A broken seal, by contrast, meant broken trust -- someone had tampered with a document that was meant for your eyes only.   By the 20th century, the use of wax seals declined, with their primary function as part of special occasions such as wedding invitations. But the image of a wax seal remains a potent and widely recognized [trust symbol](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-symbols-freesias-rectangles-blue) to this day.  [![Ready to make your brand more visible and trustworthy to both human buyers and AI systems?](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7507638/interactive-153859540751.png) ](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLICw8PcBcsYLk6IU86PbUJVD4ht0ARlOHe5qwlBTbNVhg9HY8LTg8DdECQ2XlW4vycH4chdyZQHjjTFKxXdLRTxZWpkBLwu6RN4A9rVuBksXRMsSWl26aqBL6a%2FT8%2F3AroNkKaaV8J1AL2s7ePK%2BVQSZkEI4r7aWgaRKnv56Au6GqVfN5Vbw%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=153859540751&portalId=7507638) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) #### Scott Baradell Scott is founder and CEO of Idea Grove, one of the most forward-looking public relations agencies in the United States. Idea Grove focuses on helping technology companies reach media and buyers, with clients ranging from venture-backed startups to Fortune 100 companies. ###### Blog posts ## Related Articles [Website Design & Experience](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/website-design-experience) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ##### Scott Baradell ### [What Brain Scans Tell Us About Website Trust Signals](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-brain-scans-tell-us-about-website-trust-signals) Marketers have begun to explore the use of neuroimaging—functional MRI brain scans—in determining... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-brain-scans-tell-us-about-website-trust-signals) [Website Design & Experience](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/website-design-experience) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ##### Scott Baradell ### [Trust Seals: From Medieval Kings to Ecommerce Conversions](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-seals-from-medieval-kings-to-ecommerce) Signed, sealed and delivered.  Seal of approval.  Sealed their fate.  Seal the deal.  Sealed with a... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-seals-from-medieval-kings-to-ecommerce) [![Trust Signals, a Registered Trademark of Idea Grove LLC](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/?hsLang=en) - [Latest Articles](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Must-Reads](https://www.trustsignals.com/must-reads) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [Privacy Policy](https://www.ideagrove.com/privacy-policy/)  |  [Terms of Use](https://www.ideagrove.com/terms-of-use)  |  All Rights Reserved. © 2024 Idea Grove LLC [Follow us on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/trust-signals) [Follow us on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/Trust_Signals) [Follow us on Instagram ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAZE-jawJu0kizmRKCb7A0w) [Follow us on Quora ](https://www.quora.com/profile/Scott-Baradell) [Idea Grove Website ](https://www.ideagrove.com/) [Follow us on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/DallasSEO/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Scott Baradell", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/author/scott-baradell" }, "dateModified" : "2021-11-23T14:47:19.213Z", "datePublished" : "2020-10-22T16:46:05.000Z", "headline" : "A Brief History of the Trust Seal: When Broken Wax Meant Broken Trust", "image" : [ "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/wax%20seal.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-the-trust-seal-when-broken-wax-meant-broken-trust", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20-%20Phase%201%20Redesign/trust-signals-logo-1.svg" }, "name" : "Media Orchard LLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Dallas", "addressRegion" : "TX" }, "alternateName" : [ "TrustSignals", "Trust Signals Marketing" ], "description" : "Trust Signals is a B2B PR and AI visibility agency founded by Scott Baradell, creator of the Trust Signals® framework. 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