Undoubtedly it was once part of an interchangeable desk set, used to seal missives exchanged between friends.

The peacock has perhaps the most spectacular tail in the bird world. Which it holds neatly folded away for its everyday endeavours, but fans out in an astonishing display for the purposes of courtship. Get a load of this my pea hen babes!

Hence the peacock has a ‘tail’ it can unfold. In this seal the pun is in the deliberate use of the word tale instead of tail. The writer of the letter has a ripping yarn to share, his tale to unfold. Simples.

Hence this seal serves as a teaser for the recipient. There is some seriously hot goss contained in the envelope!

Thinking more widely about the peacock they are symbolic of beauty, rebirth wealth as well as sinful pride. We have all heard the similes ‘as proud as a peacock’ and ‘strutting around like a peacock.