About Silver and Pewter?
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the alloy is stated in terms of fineness, or The first recorded reference to value placed parts of silver per 1,000 of the alloy. Sterling on silver is dated about 3600 B.C. At that silver is 92.5% silver: Sterling contains 925 time, Egyptian King Menes set the value of parts silver and 75 parts of another metal, silver at two-fifths that of gold. Do You Know This ... usually copper. Therefore, Sterling is said to About Silver and have a fineness of 925. Silver is now regarded as money by two- thirds of the world's population. The distribu• Pewter? English silver of sterling standard is hall• tion of silver reserves, measured in per• marked with the lion passant. Passant is centages of the world total: USSR (18%), by Chuck Thompson defined as a heraldic animal walking with Canada (15%), Mexico (14%), U.S. (12%). • One gram of silver can be drawn into a the farther forepaw raised (see illustration). wire more than a mile long. Originally, silver was hallmarked at Gold• From the record books: The highest price smith's Hall, London, England, where gold ever paid for silver is $1,163,750 for the pair • Until the 15th century it was church cus• and silver articles were assayed and of Duke of Kingston Tureens made in 1735 tom to bury a pewter chalice with the stamped. by Meissonnier and sold by Christie's, priest. Geneva, on November 8, 1977 (Guinness Book of World Records). The recorded history of silver and pewter offers much little-known and interesting in• formation. Pewter Pewter was first used by ancient Orientals Silver English silver of Sterling standard is hallmarked and Romans nearly 2,000 years ago. It con• Our fascination for silver has never waned. It with the lion passant. Here (left to right) is an early tained sufficient lead to cause the surface to is not only a precious metal, but it can be form of lion passant and two more modern forms darken with age. The best (and most) and has been fashioned into elegant and used in British hallmarks for silver wares grades of modern pewter contain no lead. beautiful objects. Silversmithing is one of the The outstanding qualities of silver include its world's most ancient occupations: Silver or• Specimens of Roman pewter excavated in brightness and power of reflection. Silver, naments and decorations recovered from England show that pewter ware was made when polished, reflects 95% of the light fall• royal tombs date back as far as 4,000 B.C. in England by the Roman Legions. Early ing on it. It is considered one of the most Very early Roman records show that the pewterers and silversmiths gave great at• malleable and ductile of all metals: One word "Luna" and a crescent moon symbol tention to the design of their wares to be gram of silver can be drawn into a wire more were used for silver. used in Church. Finest examples of their than a mile long. Silver is also a very endur• work can be seen in Church cups and ing metal. This durability has contributed to In Colonial America, silversmithing was one chalices. After the Restoration in England, its preservation through the years. of the finest crafts practiced, also one of the pewter came into daily household use, earliest. The Register of the Virginia Com• replacing the clumsy wooden utensils of Probably the only slight inconvenience of pany records a silversmith in Jamestown that time. in 1620. silver is the tarnishing which occurs, caused by the metal combining with sulphur or When the first English settlers came to the Other important dates in the history of silver chlorides in the air. At times this can be an "New World", they brought their precious in America include 1838: This was the year advantage because repairs, patches and pewter with them. Few Colonials used either the first silver mine, the Silver Hill Mine, was the removal of engraving and other decora• pottery or porcelain ..china before 1780; discovered near Lexington, North Carolina. tions are more easily detected on tar• pewter plates and dishes were in general The first successful silver plating factory in nished pieces. America was Rogers Brothers, Hartford, use. Even by 1857, china on the dinner table Conn. This factory was established in was rare. 1847. The period marking the greatest production Early American history reveals that having of pewter ware in Colonial America was the one's silver in the form of silverware was, in 150 years between 1700 and 1850. The the eyes of the Colonists, tantamount to hundred years between 1750 and 1850 having it in the bank. In the seventeenth and were called the "Pewter Century". Boston, eighteenth centuries, in the absence of New York and Philadelphia were the main banks where they might deposit surplus centers of manufacture. funds, the conversion of coin into house• hold silverware was a convenient way to In Colonial America, it was common prac• keep it intact, and also enjoy the use of it. tice for tinkers (itinerant menders of house• hold utensils) who owned pewter molds to Today, the use of silver for silverware, or• make yearly visits to farmsteads and cast, naments, jewelry and other products con• on the spot, what was needed by their cus• sumes about 35% of all silver mined in the tomers. The most durable pewter molds world. An average teaspoon, made of and were made of gun-metal. Some of these marked "Sterling", will contain about one molds, still in use after more than a century ounce of silver. Use of silver for silverware, jewelry, steins, mugs of service, are in good condition. Because and other collectible products consumes about the craft was laborious and molds were ex• Pure silver is too soft for practical purposes 35% of all silver mined in the world. This hand• pensive, the design was simple, yet this sim• and is combined with other harder metals. some tankard, crafted by silversmith Edward This process is known as alloying and is Davis about 1775, is from the Towle Silver Collec• plicity itself was both beautiful and closely regulated. The proportion of silver in tion. (Photo courtesy of Towle Silver Co.) popular. Objects we refer to as "flat ware" were Today, many pewter objects command classified in Colonial times as "sad ware". prices as high as, or even higher than, their The word "sad" probably refers to fine pew• silver counterparts. ter of that time, an alloy of tin "saturated" with as much copper as "of its own nature it Incidentally, display experts tell us pewter will take"; it may hence also derive from the looks best when displayed against a blue alternate meaning of "sad", i.e., "dull", com• background. Silver is most attractive paring the more subdued pewter to the against a red background. brightness and high reflectivity of silver. The resultant pewter lent itself well to the pro• [The interested reader may wish to refer to Prosit cess of shaping with the hammer. In early issue number 60, June 1980, which was largely American pewter, the lowest grade was devoted to the subject of pewter. A bibliography called trifle. It was much used for common on pewter references may be obtained by send ing us (P.O. Box 463, Kingston, New Jersey tankards and mugs, and was "sometimes 08528) a large stamped, self-addressed en• made with nearly forty percentum of lead". velope, with the word "pewter" marked in the Antimony, a metallic silvery-white crystalline lower left.] and brittle element used in most pewter alloys, is also used in medicine. About The Writer Even the best grade of pewter is softer than Chuck Thompson is Executive Director of The brass or bronze. Still, it is classified as one of Silver & Pewter Collectors Society (International). the most durable metals. It will resist oxida• He is also a certified personal property appraiser tion almost indefinitely and is safe for eating and a collector. He specializes in the appraisal of Antique and Classic Silver, Pewter, and other and drinking utensils. Modern pewter is an Collectors Items. He has recently been named a alloy of approximately 91% tin, 7.5% an¬ Member of the Advisory Board of the prestigious timony and 1.5% copper. It retains its bright Schroeder's Antiques Price Guide (6th Edition). ness indefinitely and may have a crisp bright Information in this article is from the research files finish or a soft satin sheen. Since 1953, the of Chuck Thompson & Associates. world production of modern pewter ware has exceeded the amount of pewter pro• duced in any similar period in the history of the industry. There are good reasons for the revival of in• terest in pewter. The public has become educated to the charm and beauty of non- tarnishing pewter and today's craftsmen are using pewter in new ways and in notice able designs. A freelance writer and recognized authority on the value of collectibles, Chuck Thompson's ar• ticles and comments have appeared in many national and international publications. You may write him at Modern Scandinavian pewter stein. The "Munich Child" finial is also cast of pewter, but was mount• ed on the lid separately .