Signs of quality as stores accept credit at last (7)
I believe the answer is:
cachets
'signs of quality' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both man-made objects as well as being plural nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'stores accept credit at last' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'last' could be 't' (I've seen this in other clues) and 't' is found within the answer.
'stores' could be 'caches' (cache is a kind of store) and 'caches' is present in the leftover letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'as' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for cachets that I've seen is " Seals".)