Antique Pewter and Price Guide
The History and Collection of Poor Man's Silver
Pewter is a beautiful "poor man's silver" with mostly tin elements. When turned into objects, pewter lacks the grace and elegance of silver but makes up for it in style and function. For hundreds of years, pewter has had utilitarian uses, but those items are sought after today for their subtle beauty.
The Soft Side of Pewter
There is a soft side to pewter. While it mimics silver in that it can be finished to a silvery sheen, and the designs have strong similarities to silver pieces, the metal is soft. It dents easily, scratches easily and like silver, it tarnishes easily.
Everyday Utilitarian Pewter
Pewter has been used in everything from pitchers, tankards, mugs, pots and porringers. They were known as hollowware. Also, plates, dishes, bowls, and charges. This group was known as sadware. cooking utensils, tea pots, candlesticks, flagons and tea caddies were among the many other typical utilitarian items made with pewter.
Early American Pewter
Early colonists and pioneers had only the pewter they crossed the pond with. There were no tin mines in the New World, but over time, pewter was imported in large numbers from England just before the Revolutionary War and home necessities made with pewter were soon in most households.
American pewterers in this period made their livings only in the repair and restoration of pewter. Silver items were making their way into America, and style leaned toward this harder, more luxurious metal. Pewter was no longer fashionable or wanted.
In the late 19th century, pewter made a come-back with art nouveau style and lasted into the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century.
Collectible Antique Pewter
Tankards are among the most collectible antique pewter items. A dictionary of marks will be needed to learn the age and name of the maker. Most often, the maker's mark is in the inside of the tankard at the bottom.
Plates in various sizes were mass manufactured and were in nearly every home. As a result of the sheer numbers of plates produced, pewter plates are among the easiest to find. Not all have maker's marks, but those that do will likely show on the underside of the plate.
Dating Antique Pewter
Any pewter made prior to the 19th century will be a rare find and valuable. Most older pieces will have a maker's mark.
Pewter tea and coffee pots of the 1700s had wood handles. The reason for this was the expense of the mold itself. Every element that went into a tea post for example had to have its own mold. The spout, handle and lip would have all needed separate molds. The molds were made with expensive bronze or brass.
Pewter that looks like it's been hammered could actually be handmade hammered pewter and may be old if other criteria such as maker's marks are there. But beware of reproductions.
Price Guide to Antique Pewter
EBay usually brings up 100s of completed listings of antique pewter items and the closing prices and all over the board. They may not reflect the true value but it's a good source to find rough estimates.
To illustrate this point, an 18th century signed American pewter plate recently sold for $200, and another for close to $400, while in a listing directly below, an 18th century signed English pewter plate sold for just $10. There were, of course, far more pewter plates made in England in the 18th century than there were made in the United States. As mentioned earlier. There were no tin mines. American pewter was often redesigned from English pewter.
Values for signed early American pewter coffee and tea pots can start at $400. Coffee pots are rare finds. Marked coffee pots are even rarer and very valuable.
Art Nouveau and Art Deco pewter pieces like clocks, inkwells, candlesticks for example are highly sought after. Collectors find prices starting $500 for some pieces, depending on maker's mark and condition.
Antique marked pewter is generally worth double that of unmarked antique pewter.
Values for antique pewter can be confusing, because there were so many different types of items made from pewter, from so many different makers and regions. Collectors understand the criteria of the pewter they collect. They may choose only plates, or items made by a particular maker or from a particular region or period. And the value is based primarily on supply and demand, how many were made and many collectors there are searching for that item.
References
- Antique RoadShow Primer, Carol Prisant, Workman Publishing, 1999
Antique Pewter Candlestick Pair
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