wax jack
Illustration — A simple wax jack (Sheffield plate), c. 1740 A wax jack (wax-jack, taper-jack) is a device used to hold a taper of sealing wax intended to create sealings on documents. The wax jack was first introduced in 1700.
Also recorded as taper jack · taper stand · wax-jack · taper-jack
wax jack
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Illustration — A simple wax jack (Sheffield plate), c. 1740 A wax jack (wax-jack, taper-jack) is a device used to hold a taper of sealing wax intended to create sealings on documents. The wax jack was first introduced in 1700.
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wikidata · Q54889179 · wikipedia · Wax jack
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Description
Before that time a simple taper was used in a loose ball. Despite the resemblance to a candle, they were not used for illumination. Although common in England and Europe, they were not used much in North America. Most early wax jacks were worked by silversmiths, although later models also exist in other metals such as iron, brass or bell metal.
A wax jack was a vertical or horizontal shaft around which a thin beeswax taper was coiled. The top end protruded through a hole in a pan that had a pincer to hold the taper in place. This allowed the taper to be lit and the resulting puddle of wax easily controlled. Some models, called "bougie boxes," had a pierced enclosure around the shaft to protect the taper. They were often used when travelling, and to protect the taper from mice. Others included a snuffer.
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reference work
- “Wax jack”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q54889179: wax jack
General reference · Wikidata
Literature
Literature
An Examination of a Wax Jack from Port Royal, Jamaica, Historical Archaeology, 2026
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met Museum). Wax jack - British.
- 2.The Regency Redingote. Of Wax-Jacks and Bougie-Boxes. 18 January 2013.
- 3.Helaine Fendelman. Wax Jack: What Is It? What Is It Worth?. countryliving.com. 7 May 2007.
- 4.Wax Jacks. Internet Antique Gazette.
- 5.George Bernard Hughes. Sheffield Silver Plate. Praeger Publishers. 114. 1970.
- 6.Judith Martin. Who, What & Ware For the Table. The Washington Post. 10 September 1989.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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