Antique-shop.com

Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: vtbuck223 on May 26, 2013, 06:25:19 AM

Title: Help...English Pewter
Post by: vtbuck223 on May 26, 2013, 06:25:19 AM
This is my first post....glad to have found what looks to be like a great forum. I'm hoping that someone can help me with the pewter charger that I picked up at an onsite auction at an old Inn that was going out of business here in New England. There were several other pewter items there...over the mantle...this is the one I ended up with. It was an impulse buy....I really don't know anything about pewter. As I have tried to research the makers marks on the back...I found it surprising diffiult.....the Brits...don't have any free forums or info on the net that I could find. Saw a lot of other similar marks doing general searches...but not exactly like this.  Can anyone help me identify the maker and date the object...I know it has a 1752 on the front...but is that legit? Much Thanks for your help.
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: vtbuck223 on May 26, 2013, 06:31:17 AM
More pics
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: bigwull on May 26, 2013, 08:36:58 AM
I,d say this was the genuine article,...everything looks right,the worn marks on the base,is what you would expect,..for something that is 260 years old,..now for the initials...HSE...or it could be a variation of ....the Ip man might know....
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: vtbuck223 on May 26, 2013, 10:56:33 AM
Thanks....in addition to hoping to identify a maker....I am also curious as to what this was likely used for...I read that some of these were wedding plates? Would that be the likely case here....and thus the engraved date to commemorate the event? It also said that the three letters in some cases were the combined initials of the couple? is this likely what I have here?
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: Ipcress on May 26, 2013, 11:08:06 AM
enquiries@pewtersociety.org

Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: bigwull on May 26, 2013, 11:09:16 AM
yes this is often the case...The large letter will be the initial of the last name and the two side letters are the initials of the first names of the husband and wife
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: vtbuck223 on May 26, 2013, 03:05:23 PM
Ipcress.... enquiries@pewtersociety.org   :( .... I'm sure "membership has its privilieges" but at around $50.... I'm not inlcined to join....to find out about 1 piece of pewter.... any other pewter forums?  I did order a couple books off Amazon on English pewter makers/ marks etc....only a few bucks each....maybe I can find some answers in there.
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: bigwull on May 26, 2013, 03:12:51 PM
maybe the Ip man,s got shares in the Pewter society... ;D..your best place is Google....just type in English pewter marks...and then you can spend the next month or two...sifting through the reams of pages on pewter...
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: Ipcress on May 26, 2013, 03:23:27 PM
Ipcress.... enquiries@pewtersociety.org   :( .... I'm sure "membership has its privilieges" but at around $50.... I'm not inlcined to join....to find out about 1 piece of pewter.... any other pewter forums?  I did order a couple books off Amazon on English pewter makers/ marks etc....only a few bucks each....maybe I can find some answers in there.

You don't have to pay $50

" 1. The Society is willing to help members of the public identify individual items of pewter if we can.

2. This service is free, but it is not available to dealers nor to individuals if the sole purpose of the identification is to facilitate the sale of the item. "
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: mart on May 26, 2013, 04:17:35 PM
A few months ago I found a good pewter site with a forum if I can find it again !!  I will look later !!
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: vtbuck223 on May 26, 2013, 04:59:48 PM
Ipcress....my apologies...I read over the site you suggested and indeed it is as you say....many thanks.

Mart....thanks...wo uld like to have the information to that site as well.
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: mart on May 26, 2013, 06:48:17 PM
Hope I can find it again !!  Can`t remember what I was looking for !!  Give me a while !!
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: mart on May 26, 2013, 08:00:22 PM
http://www.antiquetalk.com/index.php/antique-talk/42-old-pewter

Haven`t found the other site yet but this one has some interesting info !! See if the "antique talk" at top of page is a forum !!  I am calling it a night !! Will look more tomorrow !!  I think I was searching for antique metalware before !! Will try that tomorrow !!
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: mart on May 27, 2013, 07:08:35 PM
http://www.antique-metalware.co.uk/

This is another site that might help you !! It has an "ask the experts" feature !! It shows that I have been there before so it may be the one I was thinking of !!  Try googling "identifying antique metalware" for different sites that have interesting/helpful info !!
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: bigwull on May 28, 2013, 02:59:28 AM
Hope I can find it again !!  Can`t remember what I was looking for !!  Give me a while !!
something made of Pewter...perhaps... ... ;D
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: mart on May 28, 2013, 03:59:35 PM
Yes,, but what ??  And sometimes I search for one thing and get sidetracked !!  Whatever it was ,,was metal !!
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: Rauville on May 29, 2013, 07:16:43 AM
These folks may be able to help you.
http://www.hiltpewter.com/ (http://www.hiltpewter.com/)
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: Ipcress on May 29, 2013, 11:49:24 AM
Could quite easily say what the marks refer to but the Pewter Society should know the spurious / fake marks that commonly turn up. Must say i don't like how the marks look polished and yet the date and monogram are very " fresh looking ".

Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: vtbuck223 on May 31, 2013, 10:06:24 AM
Ipcress et al....thanks for the help. I just wanted to share with you the most recent response from the pewter society....so this thread could have some closure. This is a copy of the e-mail sent to me from Roger Barnes;

Dear Jeremy,
 
My previous fears have been allayed and the crown and staffs touch mark has now been identified as being that of the pewterers Burgum and Catcott of 2, BristolBridge, Bristol who were active from 1765-1779. The partners were Henry Burgum I and George Syme Catcott .   They used a number of different touch marks and labels.    They are well known to pewter collectors and were fairly prolific makers of pewter wares and traded to Africa and North America  and also producing brass and copper wares.   We are most grateful to you for granting your kind permission for the Society to record the marks , particularly the "hallmarks" which we think have not previously been found and for the two touch marks which are much clearer than the single one we currently have recorded. for them.  Experts on Bristol pewterers have now been involved in the research and we will advise you if anything further comes to light.
 
Best wishes    -    Roger.


Who knows....possibly the engraving and date on the front marked an anniversary or some such. Thank you all again.

Jeremy
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: bigwull on May 31, 2013, 10:09:37 AM
What a great result.....and thanks for sharing....
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: KC on May 31, 2013, 10:16:18 AM
Whoo Hooo....Whoo Hooo....

Great you heard back highly favorable news AND SHARED IT WITH US.  (So many NEVER get back!_)

Great that you found out valuable information on you item.

Even Greater that you helped the Society with their marks archives!!!!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: Ipcress on May 31, 2013, 10:18:07 AM
Ipcress et al....thanks for the help. I just wanted to share with you the most recent response from the pewter society....so this thread could have some closure. This is a copy of the e-mail sent to me from Roger Barnes;

Dear Jeremy,
 
My previous fears have been allayed and the crown and staffs touch mark has now been identified as being that of the pewterers Burgum and Catcott of 2, BristolBridge, Bristol who were active from 1765-1779. The partners were Henry Burgum I and George Syme Catcott .   They used a number of different touch marks and labels.    They are well known to pewter collectors and were fairly prolific makers of pewter wares and traded to Africa and North America  and also producing brass and copper wares.   We are most grateful to you for granting your kind permission for the Society to record the marks , particularly the "hallmarks" which we think have not previously been found and for the two touch marks which are much clearer than the single one we currently have recorded. for them.  Experts on Bristol pewterers have now been involved in the research and we will advise you if anything further comes to light.
 
Best wishes    -    Roger.


Who knows....possibly the engraving and date on the front marked an anniversary or some such. Thank you all again.

Jeremy

That's excellent stuff. Thanks for getting back to us ! We all have our niches and specialist areas like this have their real die hard enthusiasts and collectors who know more than an expert on the Antiques Roadshow. Thanks to the internet we can learn far more easily than we could 15 years ago.

Very interesting about the marks - it's why i suggested them in the first place. Identifying a mark is one thing. Confirming it is something else.
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: ghopper1924 on May 31, 2013, 02:23:13 PM
SCORE!
Title: Re: Help...English Pewter
Post by: mart on May 31, 2013, 08:27:17 PM
This is quite exciting !! Waiting on,, the rest of the story !!