Handsel comes from the Old English handselen, dating to the 14th century, meaning "to give a gift or present."
A gift or present given to someone, especially as a token of good luck or a first payment.
From Old English 'handselen' (a giving into the hand), from Old Norse 'handsal' (a hand-giving, a pledge sealed by a handshake), a compound of 'hand' (hand) + 'sal' (a giving, related to 'selja,' to give, to hand over, to sell). The Proto-Germanic roots are *handuz (hand) and *saljaną (to offer, to hand over), from PIE *seh₂l- (to take, to seize — but in Germanic, the sense shifted to the giving rather than taking side of the transaction). The word originally meant a pledge or agreement confirmed by clasping