Antique Pewter and Understanding Pewter Marks
Pewter is an alloy of tin, lead, antimony or, especially for fine antique pewter, copper. Bismuth was sometimes added to help the alloy harden. The amount of each metal in the alloy can vary greatly but, as a rule of thumb, the more tin content the better the quality of pewter. Similar to pewter, Britannia metal is also a high quality alloy consisting mainly of tin with relatively small amounts of antimony and copper.
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Pewter making dates back to the Middle Ages as it became an alternative to wood when making plates. Pewter remained popular with manufacturers well in to the 1800s when china ware became more common. Huge quantities of pewter were produced in the United Kingdom for items such as flatware, spoons, candlesticks, teapots, tankards and church pewter. Most pewter items manufactured in Britain have tended to imitate contemporary silverware designs.
Despite the high volume of pewter manufacturing in Britain down the ages the low value placed on the alloy at the time, coupled with damage due to everyday use, means good examples of quality antique pewter are now rare and prized by collectors.
Reproduction pewter: A large amount of reproduction pewter has been manufactured in the United Kingdom during the 20th Century. Despite its relatively short history, some of the reproduction pewter is now becoming quite collectable in its own right. Liberty's Art Nouveau Tudric pewter is a good example of this. However, it's still the case that most collector demand remains focused on antique pewter which often displays a more glowing patina and superior finishing standards compared to more modern reproduction items.
Antique Pewter Marks
Antique pewter often displays various marks and, as with many types of antique, collectors who take the time to understand the various marks will have an advantage in identifying the higher quality and more collectable items.
Quality Marks
Just as the Goldmiths' Company originally assayed silver and gold items in Britain, the Pewterers' Company regulated the standards of pewter alloys. The three main types of pewter are known as Ley pewter (typically 80/20% tin and lead alloy), Trifle pewter (usually 82 or 83% tin with 17 or 18% antimony) and Plate pewter (typically 86% tin, 7% antimony, 3.5% copper and 3.5% bismuth). Given the higher tin content, Plate pewter is the highest quality alloy for antique pewter and Ley pewter is the lowest. Collectors should know that only Plate pewter was given a quality mark. The quality marks to look out for are a simple 'X', an 'X' with a crown over, the words 'HARD METAL' or 'SUPERFINE HARD METAL' or, lastly, a more elaborate 'rose and crown' stamp (with the word London added from the late 17th Century - although this does not guarantee provenance). The rose and crown stamp was initially used for exported pewter but during the 18th Century the mark became more generally used.
Touch Marks
Touch marks - often called 'touches' - identify the maker of a pewter piece and, because of this, are very important. The name of these markings is derived from the 'touch plates' on which pewter pieces had their mark stamped during registration at Pewterers' Hall. The earliest known touch plates date from the start of the 15th Century but these were unfortunately lost as a result of the 1666 Great Fire of London. Soon after the fire, in 1668, registering marks on touch plates resumed and continued until 1824.
Pewter touch marks were not punched on to the touch plates in any order as any convenient space was used creating a somewhat haphazard layout. A few copper touch plates are still in existence at the Pewterers' Company but the makers to which they relate is undocumented. This means the individual identification of makers can often be difficult if not impossible.
The 'touch mark' of a pewter maker often comprised of his name or initials alone but in many instances these could be included within a more elaborate design or using a play on words derived from the makers name. Dates sometimes appear within touch marks but it should be remembered that these dates represent when the touch mark was registered rather than the manufacture of the pewter item.
While, as a general rule, touch marks are smaller on earlier items the size of marks can vary a lot and often scale according the size of the piece they are applied to.
Ownership Marks
Fine early pewter items often display elaborate owner markings in a raised form and triads of letters might be stamped on the rim of plates or handles of tankards representing the initials of the couple who owned them and the maker.
Imitation Silver Hallmarks
Imitation silver hallmarks can be found on pewter and they usually consist of four shields. It's presumed that these were applied to persuade potential buyers that there was some silver content. The symbols within the four shields usually imitate genuine silver hallmarks by using the figure of Britannia, the lion pessant and the leopard's head.
Capacity Marks
From 1826 tankards and measures used in taverns had to have capacity marks. Until 1877 these were locally regulated marks but after this date a uniform excise mark was introduced comprising of a crown over the monarch's cypher (e.g. 'VR' for Queen Victoria) and a numerical code for the geographical area capacity inspection was carried out.
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