New Ways to Get an Eminent Old Look

One thing we should understand about pewter from the outset: it is not silver’s ugly step-sister, a substitute for the real thing. Pewter has a unique beauty all its own, and it’s very real substance with its own special history. We can trace pewter, originally a 50-50 alloy of tin lead, back to the Bronze Age, about 2,000-500 BC. There is early evidence of pewter objects in use in China, the Middle East and North Africa.
The word “pewter” is an English word, however, derived from the old English for spelter, (an alloy including zinc). It is this English word that spread throughout Europe (Dutch: peutre; French: piautre; Italian: peltro; Spanish: peltra). The Romans made pewter in England, and eventually English pewter became the standard by which all pewter would be judged.
The English brought their expertise at pewter-making to the colonies, Paul Revere being, perhaps, the most famous of our early pewter smiths. Ever since, Americans have associated pewter with Colonial or Federal décor – a distinctly American look.
By 1700, most of the lead was removed from pewter with the introduction of Britannia, a formula of 92-percent tin with antimony and copper. This made pewter objects safer for drinking and dining.
Collecting investment quality old pewter can be challenging. It helps if you like history and research. Also, marks on pewter, called touch marks, can be difficult to sort out. On a single piece there may be a maker’s mark, an excise or tax mark, the mark of the merchant who sold it, and the mark of the owner the piece was made for. Two websites can help: www. pewtercollectorsclub.org, and www.ramshornstudio.com/pewter.htm.
Pewter collecting can be an expensive and rewarding hobby. If, however, the only reward you’re looking for is the effect that pewter accessories can make in your interiors décor, there are some 20th Century American and European companies that made fine pewter objects that you may find popping up in antique shops at very reasonable prices.
One of these companies is Queens Art Pewter, which two German immigrants, Anton Thuerer and Frederich Bauer, started in their Brooklyn, New York kitchen in 1930. Even though it was the beginning of the Depression, they did so well they were able move their operation to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
They eventually sold their operation in 1970 to an entrepreneur anxious to capitalize on the demand for pewter that would accompany the celebration of the American Bicentennial in 1976. The company closed its doors in 2000. You can often find fine examples of Queens Art for from $5 to $50.
From Europe, I recommend looking for a company with the interesting name Les Potstainers Hutois, also called Finstain Pewter from Belgium, a company started in 1949, and which, I believe, is still in business.
Finstain pieces may start at about $50 a plate and go up from there to about $300 for some larger pieces.
I must confess that I have not been a fan of pewter in the past, but I have grown to respect it and the effect it can have. It warms an interior, especially around old pine, brick or stone. Whether cast or hammered, it has an old handcrafted look. And even if it was made only 50 years ago, it looks like an eminent heirloom.
Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.
3. (PITCHER & BOWL): In anticipation of the Bicentennial in 1976, pewter became popular again for those looking to recreate the early American look, reminiscent of old Philadelphia or New York.
4. (TOUCHMARKS): Many pewter pieces are stamped with multiple touchmarks that can be very confusing. These marks, however, all add up to just one company, Les Potstainers Hutois of Begium, a company founded in 1949.