Antique and Vintage Pewter

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Pewter is a tin alloy that has been in use since the Bronze Age. Because it could be easily formed into plates, bowls, pitchers, and other useful items, it was common in kitchens and around the home. Historically, pewter was hardened with lead,...
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Pewter is a tin alloy that has been in use since the Bronze Age. Because it could be easily formed into plates, bowls, pitchers, and other useful items, it was common in kitchens and around the home. Historically, pewter was hardened with lead, copper, bismuth, and antimony. Even though one of those elements, lead, had long been understood to be toxic to humans, it wasn't banned from use in objects and products that came into contact with people, including pewter, until the end of the 20th century. A close cousin of pewter is Britannia ware, also known as Britannia metal, which is lead-free and hardened with an additional percentage of antimony. Initially, pewter was cast and molded, but with industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries, pewter was rolled into sheets that could be spun and formed around a desired shape. Similarly, sheets of pewter could be stamped into molds, making pewter an inexpensive alternative to sterling silver and even silverplate, but an affordable step up from household objects made of wood. In the kitchen, those objects included chargers, platters, plates, dishes, and bowls of all shapes and sizes. Known collectively as sadware, a piece of pewter from the 17th and 18th century can often be dated by the width of its rim and the slope of its bouge, which is the part of a piece of sadware between its rim and well, or base. One specialized piece was the porringer, which was designed for servings of soups and stews. While the sides of porringers could be straight or curved, their bases flat or domed, porringers shared the characteristic of have a pair of handles, or ears, on each side. Pewter was also formed into flatware such as spoons, but it was generally not strong enough to be made onto knives and forks. It was considered a perfect material for salt cellars and molds used for ice cream. For beverages, pewter was spun and pressed into service as flagons and tankards, which featured hinged lids to prevent dust and bugs...
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