Pewter pictures and hallmarks...

[1775usmarine]

That's a good start, 1775! You got a better price per pound and a bigger score than I got with my first purchase, 350# ago!

Is that a hollow based candlestick? A fair number of them are weighted, with a bottom plate of pewter covering the weight that'll need removing prior to melt down.

Yeah, one problem with pewter hunting with family (or letting them see the haul before it makes it to your stash) is that a fair amount will get "requisitioned"...

Thanks...Its a hollow base the marking is near the rim of the base. Based on the threads here the pewter here and the 95lbs of solder I got for $70 I'm set for life on tin. Just gotta keep up on the lead hunt.

[ulav8r]

If it is quality pewter, it might be worth much more than the tin value. Sell it as collector items and purchase much more than you sell.

[fiberoptik]

Here’s my pewter:


Tiny tanks!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kevin c]

Here's a heads up on Holland Boone polished pewter, which apparently isn't.

I found a bread tray at GW, that was a heavy, thick cast piece, polished to a good shine. Dull sounding when tapped. The sticker said Holland Boone Polished Pewter of Scottsdale AZ, "Made in Mexico", and "lead free". The sticker bore a logo of a girl's head with pigtails in profile. There was evidence of sand casting in some unpolished areas. No stamps on the metal itself.

A web search made this out to be artisanal production with "eco friendly recycled materials". In response to my query to Lily Fields Home, which apparently bought out the company, I was informed that the materials are aluminum, which I suspected, as well as nickel and magnesium.

So, not pewter, and no tin. Save your hard earned dollars, folks.

[sureYnot]

Pay no attention to any sticker. I've seen items clearly stamped "stainless", but with a sticker that says "silver" or "pewter". Also a lot of that wilton garbage (and others) marked as pewter.

[kevin c]

Yeah, I've found your comment to be on the money just about all the time.

There's something to be said about the country of origin as well. So far I haven't found any real pewter from Mexico, India, Hong Kong or China. Lead with a smidgeon of tin, yes, from Asia (those two piece lead duck containers with copper/brass accents come to mind), but nothing actually labeled or made of pewter with the 90%+ Sn content we see from Europe, the US or Canada.

Wilton's Pewterex is misleadingly named, since it's just an aluminum alloy. I understand that some folks collect it, so it can be worth something. I'd rather spend my time and effort on real pewter, though. Fortunately, with a bit of experience, you can tell it's not pewter with just a quick inspection. Harder to do that on line, so asking for touch marks and manufacturers' names is useful.

[pete501]

This came out of a retirement facility estate.
The tankard has the hallmark on the side
And PINT

Any experts here without looking through 77 pages.

[odfairfaxsub]

Has anyone found Indonesia pewter before? I found a wine gobblet that bends easy but wasn’t marked pewter. It’s silver plated and has a sound of pewter. Stamped Indonesia on bottom. Bends real easy

[kevin c]

Indonesia and Malaysia are two of the top producers of tin metal in the world. Both produce finished pewter products, but the form, labeling and tin content often differ from what we are accustomed to seeing from the US, Canada and Europe (for example, Royal Selangor pewter from Malaysia often has a HIGHER tin content than US/European pewter).

My experience is that plated pewter isn't as common as unfinished pewter: pewter generally doesn't tarnish like silver and part of its appeal to buyers is how it looks different from sterling or silver plate. But there are tin alloys, like Brittania Metal, that in times past were used for the body of silver plated wares. White metal alloys, which may or may not contain tin, and which may also contain metals like zinc or cadmium that are undesirable for our purposes, are also plated.

So your Indonesian goblet might be a good find, but I personally wouldn't call it a sure thing.

[odfairfaxsub]

Yeah, it was plated w what looked like a silver finish

[Jmac90yj]

My collection, plate with winter on bottom I am not sure about, I’ve seen the same one on line with the correct marks but not on mine

[Leoparddog]

Here's some little bear figurines from Avon. About 2.5 ounces each...

My Grandma was an Avon Executive and I had tons of that stuff when I was a kid from her. Those and the horrible cologne in the glass cars. Probably all of it worth a small mint today. I'd melt it all down!

[imashooter2]

They’re pretty much the only thing in this thread I didn’t melt. Odinohi wanted them so I traded.

[Leoparddog]

So today, thanks to y'all, I went on a thrift shop survey looking for pewter and came home with 4 Preisner pewter stamped goblets weighing 2lbs 6 oz for $18, they were 50% off the tagged price. They seem to be solid pewter. Hope I didn't get stuck but they aren't bad looking so even if they aren't real pewter its not a big loss.

Also found a pretty heavy "pewter looking" platter from India, definitely cast and softish metal. There may be a mark on it but too small for me to make out. Please comment on the platter and if you think it might be pewter, I'll go back to GW and buy it for $5.

[kevin c]

The goblets I'd put money on being the real thing. On the other hand I'm doubtful on the Indian plate. I've not ever seen pewter from India. The form, the thickness of the piece, the finish and the molded in decorations are not typical of pewter I've seen. A better bet is that it's aluminum.

You're off to a good start!

[Leoparddog]

The goblets I'd put money on being the real thing. On the other hand I'm doubtful on the Indian plate. I've not ever seen pewter from India. The form, the thickness of the piece, the finish and the molded in decorations are not typical of pewter I've seen. A better bet is that it's aluminum.

You're off to a good start!

Thanks Kevin, I was skeptical of it, but not too bad I guess for a first time out, about $9/lb for the goblets. This Rogers pitcher was heavy and they wanted $21 for it. Its close to home so I may go back with a scale and weigh it.

[kevin c]

Regional variations in pewter availability put the price all over the place. When first building up a stash, any price under commercial retail seems reasonable. If availability is good, you get a sense of the going rate and when a good deal is being offered. Eventually you may get your average cost below the going rate in the S&S forum.

A small digital scale definitely is a big help.

[Conditor22]

I try not to pay more than $4 a pound for pewter.

IF I am out or running low, I'll pay more

[Leoparddog]

I just found these, they're a bit beat up and it says Danbury Mint. I'm counting 8 or 9 he's asking $50 but I bet I can get them for $40. My bet is that they're pretty heavy. I might keep one or two of the better ones and not make them into pretty puddles

[kevin c]

Those are kinda neat! They might be collectible, though I'm no expert.

Here's where an in person inspection and weighing would be helpful. Like Conditor, I try to keep in mind how much I'm willing to pay. At $40 for the set, or around five dollars a piece, each model would have to weigh close to 8 oz to make it around ten dollars a pound, or about a pound and a quarter to hit Conditor's threshold (we are, of course, totally discounting your time, effort and gas to get to the purchase - after all, the thrill of the chase is more than adequate compensation, right? ;^]).