Collectible Metalware | Collectibles & Collectors Items

The most popular metals with collectors are:

Silver (including silver plate).
Brass
Pewter

SILVER
Silver and silver plate is probably the most commonly bought antique metalware and appeals to most collectors. Collectors as well as investors look for historical significance or provenance in a piece. High quality silver plate is a more affordable way for most to enter the market. Plate items are cheaper, but if good quality and undamaged, a piece can be as attractive as solid silver. As with most fields of antiques, fakes are common. In silver not even the hallmarks are a guarantee of authenticity. The range of books and literature on collecting silver is vast and advice should always be sought from reputable dealers before handing over monies.

A piece of silver should be identifiable by its style and decoration, as well as through hallmarks, though these can be faked. Most late seventeenth century silver tends to be rather lightweight as the metal was in short supply. Early eighteenth century items are heavier, generally with a plain surface. Increasing prosperity led to a greater degree of decoration, which passed through the exuberance of the rococo taste until the Neo-classical designs of the late eighteenth century appeared. By the nineteenth century, weight had become synonymous with quality and some very heavy pieces were produced. The Victorians were fond of fussy services and over-decoration.

Many people have started their collections with an eighteenth or nineteenth century coffee pot and a pair of candlesticks. These are now getting rarer and consequently more expensive. There is a broad range of smaller, readily available items that are more affordable, such as cream jugs, sugar bowls, salt cellars and teapots. Many curious and interesting items (stirrup cups, babies' rattles, wine funnels, snuffboxes and thimbles) can form the basis of a collection. Silver can be collected according to:

Maker

Function

Theme (for example, smoking paraphernalia).

The new collector should be particularly wary of single items that were originally part of a pair or set. Such items are worth much less as a single piece.

Sheffield Plate
The search for a silver substitute was prompted by the increasing prosperity of the eighteenth century and led to the invention of Sheffield Plate by Thomas Boulsover c.1743. The new material was made by fusing a sheet of sterling silver to an ingot of copper in a furnace. The resulting material was then rolled into a sheet and made up into both decorative and practical objects, using the power of the time's new technologies. The "double sandwich" form of Sheffield Plate was developed around 1770. From the end of the eighteenth century, the borders of Sheffield Plate pieces became increasingly ornamental, more so than on sterling silver wares, because they could be produced far less expensively. A little copper showing is generally considered attractive, but more than that is not. The decoration of Sheffield Plate is always flat-chased, and the pattern should be visible on the underside of the piece. Engraving is not a feature of Sheffield Plate (except for coats of arms), as it would have meant cutting through to the copper base. In early pieces, the copper showed through where coats of arms were engraved, but from the end of the eighteenth century a more heavily plated disc, which could take the engraving, was set into the piece.

Electroplate
This method of plating silver was used from 1840 and gradually replaced Sheffield Plate, which after the Great Exhibition of 1851 became increasingly rare. Electroplating creates a coating of pure silver, which is whiter and harsher in appearance than the softer glow of Sheffield Plate. The process involves covering one metal with a thin layer of silver by electro-deposition. The base metal was initially copper, subsequently nickel was used, hence the term EPNS (Electro-Plated Nickel Silver). Styles followed those that were most popular in silver. The most popular electroplated items are cake baskets, candlesticks and entree dishes. Tea sets are becoming increasingly popular. Far less expensive even than Sheffield Plate, electroplated wares are not collected for their value, but as inexpensive "silver- style items". Unlike Sheffield Plate, most electroplate has makers' marks and indications of quality such as "A1" "EP" or "EPNS".

BRASS
Brass is an alloy (of copper and zinc) and therefore harder and firmer than copper alone. The goldlike colour of brass has made it a widespread favourite over many years. Almost every household article necessary can be found in brass. Cast brass made before 1830 has a pencil thin line extending from top to bottom on both sides, because it was cast in two halves and then braised together. Brass can become tarnished, sometimes to the point where it is actually mistaken for iron, if left long enough. If the brass is very badly tarnished, it can be cleaned by the use of carborundum valve-grinding compound from any auto supply store. Clear lacquer can be used to protect a bed or other large article from frequent polishing, and colourless nail polish can be used for hooks, mirror knobs and other tiny items.

PEWTER
Pewter is an alloy of primarily tin and copper, with other metals such as antimony, bismuth and lead. In ancient times it was an alloy of 70% tin and 30% lead, and this high concentration of lead caused lead poisoning when the alloy was used to make eating and drinking utensils. Pewter is a shiny metal, and has been called "poor man's silver". As it is highly malleable with a relatively low melting point, it has been used for many items (plates, drinking mugs, steins, flatware, candlesticks and jewellery. Due to the softness of the metal, pewter is not suitable for making tools. There has been a modern resurgence in the use of pewter. By casting, spinning on a lathe, pounding into shape and other means, pewter is used for a variety of items. The relative softness and low melting point of the metal lends it well to highly detailed figurines. Drinking steins are still being made that use pewter for the decorative lids, and jewellery of all types are cast from it. Given time, pewter will eventually oxidize and develop a satiny grey patina that can either be polished off or left on. "Poor Man's Silver" remains a very useful and attractive alloy over 4,500 years since it was first discovered.