Both seals are held in an old box, probably dating to World War II. One or other seal appears on several early acquisitions, such as the 周禮鄭註 from 傅斯年, though sometimes with later seals (such as 醫42, where 16B is on a book bought in 1964 with a 1964 seal).

編號 No.：16A 材質 Material：石 stone 尺寸 Size：1.60 × 1.60 cm 齋號章。与16B号在同一盒，材质、大小、图案均同。二戰時期所刻。 Style name seal. Another early seal bearing Needham’s preferred pseudonym or “style name” (see seal NRI2/8/6/2/29). From the same box as 16B (see below), the precise date of acquisition is unknown, though sometime between 1943 and 1946 while Joseph Needham was in China.

編號 No.：16B 材質 Material：石 stone 尺寸 Size：1.60 × 1.60 cm 姓名章。二戰時期。 Name seal. Li Yuese is Joseph Needham’s Chinese name, one that he used throughout his life, and by which he is best known in China. Another early seal, from the same box as 16A (see above), for which the precise date of acquisition is unknown, though most likely between 1943 and 1946 while Joseph Needham was in China.