AboutMartin Roberts Expertise Antique pewter especially from the British Isles. I can comment on origin, date, rarity, and value. I cannot give detailed information on `art` metalware, Art Deco, Art Nouveau or Arts and Crafts metalware. See more at www.antique-metalware.co.uk
Experience A collector myself for twelve years, and a dealer for six years.
Organizations Member of the UK Pewter Society and the Pewter Collectors' Club of America.
Expert: Martin Roberts Date: 6/19/2008 Subject: James Yates 1/2 Pint mug
Question I have a pewter mug stamped James Yates 1/2 Pint. with several other markings on it;
(1) is a Crown with VR below it, and 1 below that.
(2) is a Crown with VR below it, and 149 below that.
(3) is VR with a sheild that has a cross in it and a line running from top left to bottom right.
(4) is a Crown with VR below it, and 526 below that.
(5) it also has a engraving on the front, about 1 inch tall of a JG in brush script font.
How old is it? what do all these marks mean? and is it worth anything? Thank You
Answer -
An exemplary question, specific and accurate. Other questioners, take note!
The maker, James Yates, was active in Birmingham, England, in the 19th Century, starting as successor to his father in the partnership of Yates, Birch & Spooner, and then in partnership with Birch as Yates & Birch, until 1860, after which he worked on his own account until 1881. Thereafter, his name was retained as a trade name by later successors right up to the 1980s. During his working life he was extremely prolific, and his mugs and measures are the most commonly seen from the 19th Century.
The engraving will be the initials of the publican at the pub where the mug was used.
The marks with a VR are capacity verification marks, applied by weights and measures inspectors to confirm that the mug was of legal capacity. Each mark represents a re-testing of the capacity. You can read more detail about these marks, and look up the numbers, on the Verification Marks page on my website (see below).
VR is the regnal monogram of Victoria Regina (i.e. Queen Victoria). The first of the verifications is the sheild - this is the arms of Birmingham, and is often found on Birmingham made mugs and measures. Its presence suggests your mug was made before UV numbers were introduced (see website), so made between 1860 and 1879, but probably later in that period as it has no other pre-UV marks.
The UV numbers are for Northamptonshire, so that is where the mug was used, 526 having been adopted after 1890, so the mug was still in use in that year.
So, lots of history and detail, but value will be disappointingly small. Such pieces make only a few pounds, precisely because they are both late (relatively speaking) and common.
