>I have opened an album titled Fenwick Parva in which you will find
>pictures of a spoon which I may decide to sell. It is Dutch and was
>made about 1500.
>
>It is 7.25 inches long, and the bowl is 2.5 inches in diameter. I
>don't know if it is pewter or silver, and I don't know how to tell.
Can't tell you what it's worth, but silver will most likely have the
symbol 925 imprinted on it somewhere.
I found this about pewter:
Pewter (also known as "antique silver") is a
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=metal>metal
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=alloy>alloy, traditionally
between 85 and 96 percent
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=tin>tin, and the rest
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=copper>copper and/or
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=lead>lead. There were three
grades of pewter: Fine, for eating ware, with 96 percent tin, and 4
percent copper; Trifle, also for eating and drinking utensils but
duller in appearance, with essentially 92 percent tin, 4 percent
copper, and up to 4 percent lead; and Lay or Ley metal, not for
eating or drinking utensils, which could contain up to 15 percent
lead. Modern pewter mixes the tin with copper,
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=antimony>antimony and/or
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=bismuth>bismuth, as opposed to lead.
Physically, pewter is a bright, shiny metal that is very similar in
appearance to
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=silver>silver. Like silver,
pewter will also oxidize to a dull gray over time if left untreated.
Pewter is a very malleable alloy, being soft enough to carve with
hand tools, and it also takes good impressions from punches or
presses. Some types of pewter pieces, such as candlesticks, would be
lathed. Pewter has a low melting point, and duplication by
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=casting>casting will give
excellent results.
Use of pewter was common from the
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=middle_age>Middle Ages up
until the various developments in
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=glass>glass-making during
the <http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=18th_century>18th and
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=19th_century>19th
centuries.
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=mass_production>Mass
production of glass products has seen glass universally replace
pewter in day-to-day life. Pewter
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=artifact_%28archaeology%29>artifacts
continue to be produced, mainly as decorative or specialist items.
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=royal_selangor_pewter>Royal
Selangor Pewter is one of the world's largest producers of pewter artifacts.
A pewter is also the colloquial name for any pewter-made container,
especially a pewter tankard. Tankards are certainly the most common
pewter artifacts, although the metal is also used for
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=plate_%28dishware%29>plates,
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=cutlery>cutlery and
<http://www.upto11.net/generic_wiki.php?q=jewellery>jewellery.
Sorry, but it's the best I could do with the time I have available.
Jennifer Pomerance
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