Random Thoughts II

By Robert E. Touzalin

In my original article ‘Random Thoughts on Pewter Collection’, in the Spring, 1997 PCCA Bulletin, Volume II, Number 7, page 221, I stated that the musings were those that entered my mind occasionally, but were not necessarily of great significance.  In this article, that thought still applies.

A.  What do you want in the physical condition of an antique?  Should it be in mint condition, untouched by 100 or 200 years of life, or should it have the honest wear of a busy useful career?  Condition varies, of course, with the nature of use.  Fine furniture may serve its purpose for two or three centuries without serious deterioration in appearance or physical condition, if treated with love and care.  On the other hand, a pewter measure, made for use in a pub or home, can be expected to suffer damage in normal usage.  This can be fairly serious damage, due to the softness of the metal.

Some collectors appreciate the signs of use and honest wear.  Others prefer to display pewter in immaculate condition.  Still others are halfway between.  So we pewter collectors have a decision to make when we assemble or add to a collection.  Which of these options do we adopt?  It is certainly possible to accumulate undamaged pieces, or at least pieces repaired to that appearance.  The question is, “Do you want to limit yourself to this type of collection?”  I have noticed that many present-day collectors are normally insisting on pieces of this type, and such pewter is therefore in demand.

Personally, I am not in favor of this tendency towards perfection.  For the past 23 years most of my collecting has been directed at British pewter, and perhaps I am influenced by the fact that most British collectors favor the honest wear appearance.  The fact that British pewter pieces are generally older than equivalent American pieces results in evidence or more wear and exposure to corrosive conditions.  There are some virtures in collecting pewter which has lived a hard useful life.  In the case of British measures and mugs, they have usually been in use long enough to acquire city or country touches, verification stamps and other identification which pinpoints their history, including often their origin and travels.  The verification stamps, which are standard on British measures, and sometimes found on mugs, include a number which identifies the particular city or county in which the item resided when tested.  Sometimes the markings identify the owner, as well as the name of the pub in which it lived.  These are little facts that add charm to a somewhat common wear.  A humble bulbous measure becomes much more interesting when a person with some imagination can follow it from a maker in London to a pub in Birmingham and then possibly another pub in Glasgow.  It’s too bad that the details of its moves can’t be known.  I have had fun visiting a pub where one of my mugs has spent some of its active career.  Sometimes a pub tender or local resident will remember a personage whose name appears on a piece.  It all adds to the fun of collecting.

Collectors who are interested in gaining information on markings of British pewter can get this information in several places.  Specifically, these places are the following:

1.  Shire Publications Ltd. Booklet entitled “Weights and Measures”.  Shire is located in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire.  HP27 9AJ, England.  The booklet is priced at only 1 pound 75 pence, but the problem is that the booklet is out of print.  This booklet has sketches of various town and county stamps, and includes the identification of official stamp numbers of almost all towns and counties in England, Scotland and Wales.  An attempt is being made to make more copies available.

2.  Christopher Peal’s book “British Pewter and Britannia Metal for Pleasure and Investment”.  This book has a listing of the same Official Stamp Numbers that the Shire booklet has, but does not include the town and county stamps.  This book is also out of print, but copies may be available through out-of-print book dealers.

3.  Carl Ricketts and John Douglas book “Marks and Marking of Weights and Measures of the British Isles”.  For those interested in delving further into this subject, this is a comprehensive source.  The book was reviewed by Gene Seevers in PCCA Bulletin Volume 11, No. 6, Page 195.  Information on ordering this book was included.

B.  The preceding paragraphs have a relation to my next thought.  Do we wish to limit our pewter collection to American pewter, to British pewter, or do we diversify.  There really isn’t much of a problem here for most people.  Unless they built up their collections years ago, the cost of assembling a representative collection of American pewter is substantial, and perhaps is more than many people want to devote to a hobby.

Of course, a person residing in New England, New York, Philadelphia or another pewter source area may logically decide to stay American.  They should have better access to what they want than those of us in the wilds of Iowa or Florida.  On the other hand, those who frequent Britain may obviously be influenced towards a British Collection.  Regardless of a collector’s inclination, the close relationship of British and American pewter metal and forms allows and promotes the mutual interest of all collectors.

We can argue about and discuss the patriotic appeal of American pewter, or the significant age and variety of British pewter, but this only advances the appreciation of the subject.  We’re pewter lovers.

C.  Now a subject which will make me some enemies.  Should we, or should we not, donate our collections to Museums or Universities.  My own opinion is that we should not.  Some museums, such as Winterthur, may make their pewter holdings easily available to the public on occasion, but I am of the opinion that most collections thus donated do not often thereafter see the light of day.  My opinion was first formed when visiting a museum that had five items on special display, and a couple of hundred in the second basement.  Many museums already have substantial collections, whereas collectors are always looking for good pieces.  It seems to me that pewter pieces will receive much more appreciation and care in the hands of collectors.

D.  Lately it has become evident that those of us that collect real antique pewter, that is, pieces that are more than 100 years old, are very fortunate.  Much other younger pewter has become quite expensive.  If you don’t believe this, check eBay auctions on the Internet.

On eBay today, some of the preliminary bids for Liberty (of London) and Tudric Pewter were as follows:

10-inch-diameter Tray        520.00
Vase                                    200.00 (reserve not yet met)
Vase                                    737.00 (reserve)
Inkwell                                415.00 (reserve not yet met)
Enamel-faced Clock          1625.00 (reserve not yet met)
Enameled Tray                    368.00 (reserve not yet met)
Cocktail Shaker                   155.00

Art nouveau pewter bids were:

Table mirror                        200.00 (reserve not yet met)
Figured-art Vase                  500.00
Dakin and Petry Vase           350.00
Tudric-Style Clock               326.00
Secessionist Picture Frame   570.00
Hand Mirror                          220.00

As a matter of fact, in a list of the 30 highest price pewter items, only six were antique pewter pieces of the type we collect.  A real eye-opener for us.

E.  Here’s a random thought which I probably shouldn’t broadcast, inasmuch as I am not an expert.  How does a collector dispose of his pewter?  This problem, perhaps fortunately, often does not arise until after a collector’s death, but many times a collector’s interest wanes, circumstances change through space limitations, monetary needs, or other reasons, and a parting of the ways follows.

As discussed in a previous section, some collectors donate their collections, in part or whole, to a Museum or University.  Some collectors are fortunate in having children who are interested in pewter, and they can pass some or all of their pewter to them.  Most collectors, however, want to sell their pewter, and there are several ways of doing this, hopefully to everyone’s advantage.

Fortunately, there are several Pewter Club members who are knowledgeable regarding features of collecting and ownership, as well as disposal, and they will assist a collector in the sale or trading of his items.  As an alternative, there are, in the eastern U.S., several legitimate and respected auction firms that will meet a seller’s needs.  And of course, we have the latest entries into the auction field, eBay and other Internet auction entities who are reaching a large audience with the new approach.  It’s possible that the tremendous exposure provided by the Internet may even increase interest in collecting antique pewter.  Let’s hope so.

F.  I would have liked to make a bet (and I would have lost) that I would never see a real set of bulbous measures that had survived as a set since they were originally sold.  And now I have seen one.  In the former home of one of Britains outstanding collectors, a set which appears to be an original one survives.  Shown in Figure 1 are seven measures, six of which are of identical design and markings.  Starting from the right they are measures of quart, pint, ½ pint, gill, ½ gill, 1/3 gill and ¼ gill.  The ¼ gill is not of the original set.  The six measures in the set are all marked on the front, opposite the handle.  Each has a similar GIV and WIV mark.  All are of the same design except the quart, which has a concave shape at the base, whereas the others have a pedestal conformation.  Each is marked “Yates”, which, I am told, is the touch of Richard Yates of London.

G.  Few of us have seen 13th, 14th, 15th or 16th century pewter.  We may have seen a picture of a chalice from a churchman’s grave or a 15th century candle holder, but that is about the extent of our familiarity with pewter of this period.  One would normally assume that pewter, particularly domestic pewter, was not produced in any quantity in these years.  If we did assume that, we couldn’t be farther from the truth.  In their book A History of British Pewter, John Hatcher and T.C. Barker delve into this subject.  They have found that inventories of some 9000 mid-thirteenth century churches show that most have 4 to 5 items of pewter.  At this same time, domestic pewter was rare, but beginning with the 14th century, use of pewter in the home started to increase

With a general increase in the prosperity of the populace, the ownership of pewter by the nobility, by the gentry, then by the yeomen and finally by the peasants progresses through the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries.  By the mid-sixteenth century, pewter was used in at least one half of the households in England.  Based on their research, Hatcher and Baker state that a late 17th century estimate of pewter holdings in England ranges between 22,000 and 25,000 tons.  It was theorized that these figures were probably a substantial understatement.  At the time, there were an estimated 2500 to 3500 masters, journeymen, apprentices and servants in the pewter industry (more than 1250 master pewterers).

Where has it gone?

Probably, over a period of years, the major portion went into the melting pot, and was recycled as new pewter.  During some periods, the value of old pewter was 70% of that of new pewter, thus encouraging trading of old for new.  Also corrosion can result in serious losses, and undoubtedly a great amount of pewter thus disappeared.  However we all have seen 17th and 18th century pieces (up to 300 or 400 years old in excellent condition, with negligible loss of mass.  One would theorize that a multitude of pewter pieces could have been lost in house walls, cellars, wells, fields and a myriad of other locations.  Of course these pieces could have been found centuries ago, but it’s hard to believe that there isn’t a lot still around.  I wish someone would provide a good answer to this mystery.
 

Fig. 1  Original set of six bulbose measures, from right, quart through 1/2 gill, plus a 1/4 gill not of the set.