These seals and ink spatula are held in a broken cardboard box with a note on the outside: 'LGD seals 80th birthday'. Lu Gwei-Djen was born in 1904. The inscription reads: LGD’s seals: Presented to Lu Gwei-Djen on the occasion of her 80th birthday by Cao Tianqin, Xie Xide, Huang Xingzong and Huang Lida. 1984.

a) smaller seal: 桂珍博士藏書之印 曹天欽謝希德黃興宗黃麗達同賀 先生八十壽 甲子仲秋拜鞠戈革作于北京

b) larger seal: 桂珍博士八旬大壽 曹天欽 謝希德 黃興宗 黃麗達 同賀 甲子仲秋拜鞠戈革作于北京.

The seal in red wax is placed on a sheet of paper with an inscription by Joseph Needham: 'Bronze seal in stirrup shape given to me by Rewi Alley in Peking 1958. date? origin? presumably 何口中 Ho Khou-Chung.'

The original seal was not found among Joseph Needham’s seals. The text may be interpreted to mean that Rewi Alley gave Joseph Needham just the sealing wax impression rather than the seal itself.

The red seal shows a human figure looking at an object she/he is holding. It is set in metal on a stone handle.