Pendant seals begin to appear in the late-13th century and continue in use right through to the end of the 15th century. The majority are made of copper-alloy although some rare examples are known in silver. It is unusual to find anything other than a round matrix but the heater shield shape is known for the armorial type. They all have an hexagonal or round handle which tapers to a pierced terminal of circular, lozenge or quatrefoil form. Occasionally examples are found with a suspension chain still attached or the rusted remains of one. Leather thongs or laces may also have been used.

The dies are generally smaller than earlier seals and this combined with the use of rotary tools, wheels and drills can make some of the legends quite difficult to read. The legends are still in the Lombardic Script with Black Letter coming in around 1350 AD but not usually employed on these lowly personal seals. By this period the use of French and English as well as Latin is employed. Apart from the larger heraldic varieties it is now unusual for these seals to be named and some have descended almost to the level of novelty items. However they are not without a certain charm and offer a rare insight into the humour of the later Middle Ages.

Legends relating to secrecy are quite common and these must have been intended for private letters to be viewed only by the recipient. As well as those in the catalogue are LEGE TEGE (L. 'Read, keep secret') PRIVE SV ET POY CONV (OF. 'I am private and afterwards known') and many others. The motifs on these secret seals can vary considerably but a very popular one is the squirrel due to its habit of keeping a 'secret' winter store of nuts. Another type with squirrel motif has the English legend I CRAKE NOTIS (E. 'I crack nuts'). Pendant seals relating to love and friendship are also well known and include - CREDE MICHI (L. 'Trust in me') and LEL AMI AVET (OF. 'You have a loyal friend').

Another animal motif used is the lion with the legends relating to his strength as in S'VM LEO FORTIS (a rebus?) (L. 'I am a strong lion') and IE SV REY DE BEITES (OF. 'I am the King of Beasts'). The 'Sohou' type has already been mentioned and these hunting themes are very common amongst pendant seals. The example in Cat.3 no.8 depicts a hare riding on a hound and blowing a horn with the hunting cry - SOHOV ROBEN. Other motifs include hounds, hares, stags and birds of prey. Legends as - ALAS IE SV PRIS (OF. 'Alas I am caught') and SOHOV IE LA TROVE (OF. 'Sohou I find it') are typical of the type.

Religious motifs include the sacred monogram 'IHC' or 'IHS' from the Greek word for Christ and the 'Agnus Dei' or Lamb of God are also well represented in this group. Several examples obviously of a religious nature are recorded having a head with the legend around - CAPVT SERVI DEI (L. 'The head of a servant of God'). Other devices used include merchants marks and the crowned initial letters that also appear on signet or seal rings from the 15th century. Pendant seals appear to become popular again in the 17th century. They are depicted in contemporary paintings of the 16th century and so it may be that this form of seal though less widely used could have survived through to the later period. The post-Medieval shapes are illustrated in Cat.3 nos.10 and 11. A common feature of these later seals is the absence of a legend. These are termed 'mute' seals.