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 Collecting
Antique Silver
The beauty of silver has attracted collectors for many years. Collecting
silver became particularly popular in the 19th century and this
popularity continues to the present day. Hallmarking makes collecting
and dating silver easier but there are some pitfalls and points
to remember when buying.
Useful Information about Silver
- The history of silver smithing goes back to about 4000BC.
- The two main ways of working silver are by either pouring molten
silver into a mold or by hammering a silver sheet over anvils
to raise it up into the finished product.
- Hallmarks were introduced in England in 1300, initially just
to stop fraud. The first hallmark was a lion's head, called leopart
in French which became the leopard's head, familiar to us today.
- A date letter on the hallmark was introduced in 1478.
- All separate parts of an article should be hallmarked, e.g.
a jug with a lid will have both marked.
- If a piece of silver is altered, it should have fresh hallmarks.
- Because it is a very soft metal and difficult to work in its
pure form, it is usually mixed with another like copper. In the
UK, Sterling silver is the standard and that must be 92.5% pure
silver; the standard varies from country to country.
- With changes in fashion, many types of silverware have become
outmoded. They are then altered so making them more saleable.
For example, Georgian drinking mugs have the bodies re-hammered
into milk jugs. If you are suspicious, check the thickness of
the silver: it should be even throughout the body with no thin
spots.
- 18th century soup dishes are no longer particularly desirable
so some have been converted into dinner plates. Look for creasing
between the plate border and the centre. The hallmark may also
be distorted, either stretched or compressed.
- Look out for 'duty dodgers'. These are pieces of silver made
between 1719 and 1758 when duty on silver was high. During
that period, to avoid paying the duty, silversmiths would insert
a piece of silver already hallmarked from an earlier redundant
object. At that time hallmarks on articles like coffee pots and
teapots were put on the base in a group. If you see an object
like this from this period with the hallmarks in a straight line
on the base, be cautious.
- Tankards with lids were made into coffee pots. The body would
be re-hammered to make it taller and a spout would be added. The
handle would also be changed from silver to wood because a metal
handle is not practical for a vessel used for hot liquids.
Look at the proportions of a coffee jug: does it look too short
for the width of the base? If it does, it could have started life
as a tankard.
- Lidded tankards were also made into jugs. A short spout is hammered
out or added to the tankard and often the plain original object
has ornate decoration added.
- If you want to start collecting early Apostle spoons, be very
careful. There are a number of excellent fakes on sale. The only
realistic way to detect them is to be very experienced and have
an excellent eye for the real thing. Easier fakes to spot are
the ones converted from 18th century tablespoons because the hallmarks
are often wrong and the modelling of the Apostle is poor.
To start collecting silver, like all other forms of collecting,
it is a good idea to look at many authentic pieces so that you can
recognise and have a 'feel' for the genuine article. If you know
what they look like alarm bells should ring when something is not
right, even if you cannot put your finger on what is wrong with
a piece. The other good advice is always buy from a reputable dealer
who guarantees authenticity.
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Copyright © 2001 by Carol Fisher
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