Cast Pewter -- Not Pewter...

[Agarbers]

I went crazy at the local thrift store and bought what I thought was cast pewter plates. Well, the first piece won't melt so I am guessing I bought a bunch of cast aluminum that looks like pewter. I know they used to cast real pewter into tableware so I was thinking that was something like that. I think I wasted $12.00. I did buy a tankard that was marked pewter and it gave me an ingot the size of a one-pound lead ingot.

[kevin c]

Buying marked pewter is the safest.

Pewterex, though, and almost anything else made by Wilton, is not. Usually these ersatz plates, especially the ones that have sayings on them like "Give us this day our daily bread" have about the right color, but nothing else that matches real pewter. They're usually an aluminum alloy that is much thicker and harder than pewter, and often have casting marks on them that the more refined cast pewter items have polished out for the upscale market.

[JimB..]

Yeah, there is a dearth of thrift store pewter in my area. Used to be good. Lots of cast aluminum though.

[Rcmaveric]

Never could find pewter at the flea markets and such. I even asked my mom and grandma to look for me since they are always junkin and they can't find it either.

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[Went2kck]

I got 43lbs of pewter at one time for 45 dollars. Was a good score for me.

[gbrown]

I always check a piece with a key. Do it some place kind of outa sight, something that won't reduce the value. Easy to tell the difference between aluminum and pewter. I've been lucky to find plenty at yard sales and thrift stores. Got 20-30 lb. Smelted into ingots, another 10 lb. waiting for the pot. 2 big ashtrays and some odd and end things.

[bangerjim]

New scroungers always fall for the "Bread of Life" plates that are always cast Al!

Look for and READ the hallmarks. If PEWTER is not in the wording, chances are it is NOT. Very old antique pewter items only have maker's touch-marks but can easily be ID'd by the look and feel of old pewter. DO NOT melt those down! They are generally worth far more than a pound or two of lousy Sn.

I am in AZ desert rat also and there is very little pewter-ware around these parts. I have looked for years for food service pewter-ware and the only thing I find are valuable antiques my wife grabs for her collection. Must all be back east.


banger

[imashooter2]

I’m very lucky to live next to a wealthy college town. As those 1950s housewives pass on, their children dispose of momma's treasured Pewter-ware without a second thought.

ETA, as I suppose my daughter will do to my treasures. The circle of life.

[Drm50]

I picked up pewter at flea markets, ect to pour nose caps on muzzle loaders. It never occurred to me to use it for tin content in bullets until I came to this forum. I did have trouble with Pewter once I bought it. Women in family would seize it because it was to cute to melt.

[Doubles Shooter]

I picked up pewter at flea markets, ect to pour nose caps on muzzle loaders. It never occurred to me to use it for tin content in bullets until I came to this forum. I did have trouble with Pewter once I bought it. Women in family would seize it because it was to cute to melt.

You are supposed to drop it in the parking lot as you leave the store. Maybe accidentally step on it too.

[muskeg13]

I’m very lucky to live next to a wealthy college town. As those 1950s housewives pass on, their children dispose of momma's treasured Pewter-ware without a second thought.

The only time I "scored" big in several second hand stores was in an east coast college town I visited a few years ago. I was able to get several pounds of marked/certified pewter that was even discounted because the items were bent or dented. At the price I paid, even after shipping this treasure home by flat rate mail, I was well ahead of the tin spot price. Real pewter is both heavier and much softer than aluminum.

Lately I've occasionally purchased scrap pewter on ebay, but the prices have shot up considerably in the past few months. My last purchase provided enough tin to last me a very long time.

[richhodg66]

Even if not marked, it's easy to tell the difference, it doesn't look or feel anything like aluminum.

It'll "thunk" if you tap it with a piece of metal. If it rings, it's not pewter. I find it often if I go to thrift stores, I don't bother buying it much anymore because I have a lot of it from over the years.

[RugerFan]

If something looks like pewter, but isn’t marked, I’ll try to bend it. If it bends without springing back, that is a good sign. If it doesn’t bend or springs back, I leave it.

When work would send me to MI on occasion, I would find pewter pretty regular in the thrift stores.


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[gbrown]

Last time I melted pewter, or what I thought was pewter, it melted just like it should, but instead of nice smooth, shiny liquid, it clumped up like cold oatmeal. It scratched like pewter, sounded like pewter, but wasn't. I'm thinking it was zinc or some "pot" metal. It was on some small picture frames.

[bangerjim]

Last time I melted pewter, or what I thought was pewter, it melted just like it should, but instead of nice smooth, shiny liquid, it clumped up like cold oatmeal. It scratched like pewter, sounded like pewter, but wasn't. I'm thinking it was zinc or some "pot" metal. It was on some small picture frames.

Beware of those ChiComm pot metal picture frames! If it is not marked........it ain't pewter.

[Conditor22]

Watch out for "Armatale" it kind of looks like pewter but is NOT.

I look for the words "Pewter", "Zinn" (tin in German) the Spanish word "estaño" pewter or "para estaño" Tin

Not all pewter is marked. IF it looks right and has the weight for the size I will see if it bends easily.

[farmbif]

like rugerfan says if it does not bend when I grab it in my paw it goes back on the shelf.
before I learned the hard way when aggressive salesperson at thrift store swore it was real pewter.