What are the hallmarks on a pewter bowl?
Pewter was made and used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese. The “London” stamp in the serrated rectangle is known as a “label”. This mark tells us that this bowl is indeed pewter rather than silver. English silver has a series of at least four hallmarks: the standard mark, town mark, date letter, and maker’s mark.
What kind of candlesticks are in the UK?
PAIR VICTORIAN BRASS CANDLESTICKS BY TOWNSEND. A PAIR OF 19TH CENTURY BRONZE AND A PAIR OF LATE GEORGIAN BRONZE CANDLESTICKS A PAIR OF 19TH CENTURY DARK PATINATED CANDELABRA,CANDLESTICKS, ELKINGTON & CO, SILVER PLATED 19TH ANTIQUE PAIR OF SILVER PLATED CORINTHIAN PAIR OF ANTIQUE ENGLISH GEORGIAN “SLIDE EJECTOR” …
What kind of Mark is on pewter made after 1877?
English pewter made after 1877 was often marked with an excise mark consisting of a crown over the initials of the ruling monarch and a code number. Unfortunately, the initials in the crown mark on your pewter are quite worn.
Where did silver come from to cast candlesticks?
This was a much quicker and more efficient method than before. Before Sheffield was granted its own Assay Office in 1773, silver from that city was sent to London for marking, where the smart trader snapped up candlesticks to resell as London work at London prices, even though those were always cast.
Are there any marks on a pewter table?
Wares often have marks from more than one of these categories, and that can be very helpful. Because pewter is a soft metal, marks can often get very worn, but even if a touch is too worn to identify, you might nevertheless be able to identify the pewterer from other marks that are present.
What do touch marks mean on a pewter?
‘touch marks’, often including the pewterer’s name or initials Wares often have marks from more than one of these categories, and that can be very helpful.
Why are there marks on pewter silver and gold?
British and Irish pewter is often unmarked. If marks are present, they can help in identifying when and where the item was made or used. Whereas the marks on silver and gold have always been tightly controlled, there was very little control over the marks used by pewterers.
Where did pewter marks come from in the 19th century?
In the 19th and 20th centuries other businesses such as ironmongers started buying wholesale from pewterers and re-selling under their own name. In these cases the marks don’t belong to a pewterer at all but merely to a retailer. Many pieces of pewter were never marked.
