Sincere
During the Roman-Greco era, many craftsmen worked in stone, making frescoes and statuary. The best of these artisans could create great works of art without any errors, while the average sculptor would often strike his chisel just a little to hard and chip a little to much stone from the work site. To cover these errors, he would smooth a little bees wax onto the statue, to hide the little piece of missing stone that had been accidentally chipped away.
When a salesman tried to sell statuary, he would have to disclose hidden flaws that were hidden by the bees wax. The addition of wax would hide imperfections, but it would reduce its value on the open market. If the statue was perfect, true and nothing was hidden, it was said that the statue was "without wax".
In Latin, "wax" translates to "cere". (Even in Spanish!) Since it is true and not faked, it is labeled "sin cere" (without wax). Today, we sign our letters "Sincerely" to connote that the letter is true, not faked, and there are no hidden meanings.
A Personal Note from Robin
While in the Navy in the '50s, I used to enjoy signing my letters "Without wax, Robin".
I always found it amazing how few people ever questioned my use of this phrase. <g>
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