The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-09

in pewter and many old silversmIth's
moulds were used for this purpose. You
will find pitchers and sugar bowls exactly
like those Of the same period in silver
made in pewter, and a law wss enacted
by which pewterers only could put their
marks on pewter. silversmiths being de-
barred. Nor were any allowed to make it
who did not belong to the guild Of pew
terers.
The marks which you will find on almost
all pieces Of pewter are known as touch
marks, and they were registered at the
guildhall Of the company. The rose and
crown is the mark most often found on
pewter. and people who find it on their
specimens usually sscribe them q Eng
land. This may or may not be correct, for the
mark is found on Dutch. German. French,
Flemish and Scotch ware also.
Much London pewter has the K on Il,
denoting superior quality, and on French
ware the word blanc" sometimes appears,
denoting the same thing, the presence of
lead in all cases being shown by the blush
tint Of the pewter.
1t is impossible to say how much lead
a specimen contains without applying a
chemical test. In passing a piece Of pewter
over a bit Of white paper the presence Of
lead il shown by its leaving a dark mark:
the greater the amount Of lead the darker
the mark. Pewter which is % per cent
tin n 10 per cent. lead will leave nc mark,
and with less than rs per cent. Of tin all
pewter will leave a mark.
Pewter hollow ware was usually cast in
moulds made Of gun metal, though, as these
were costly, plaster of paris, sand, or some
cheap metal was also used. II possible
such articles as spoons, small salt cellars,
p~orringers, tokens, bleeding dishes, &c,
we're cast in one piece.
Larger pieces like tankards or big ewers
we're cast in sections, the parts soldered
together and then finished OF. but IL is
almost always possible to detect the Joint.
cared dishes, as porringers and bleeding
dishes were called, were according 10 the
rules Of the company to be cast in one piece,
and members were fined for soldering on
the ears afterward and such dishes were
considered inferior.
Look at your porringer and see how it
is made. The highest class ware was
marked on the bottom, inferior ware being
marked on the face.
Plates properly made were first cast
and then hammered, four or five row of
hammer marks showing on the under side.
This gave them a good finish and added
strength to the metal. This rule OF casting
first applied to small plates only, platters
and chargers being mode entirely by the
hammer from rolled sheets Of the metal,
and in some cases the edges had extra
stihening TO make them durable.
People will sometimes tell you that their
heirlOoms are Of silver pewter but II is
hardly likely that tin, OF itself extremely
brittle, should have silver added. since this
metal would but enhance that quality.
Sebaldus Ruprecht, a fourteenth century
pewterer, made himself and his wares
famous, since he made them 10 resemble
silver 70 closely. -Silvorum" was invented
in 1852, but the pewterers would not ALLOW
any of their members to work with the
inventor, and he and his invention faded
from sight.
II was not till 1890 that makers were al
lowed to use the word London" on their
wares. Country pewterers had a bad
fashion Of putting on this word, particularly
when their wares did not come up to the
standard. Therefore even IL your cherished
platter has London on il, It may not be of
London make. a
Townsend and Compton were famous