Expert: Martin G Roberts - 3/27/2009

Question
Dear Martin, I have inherited my grandmother's pewter teapot (with) wooden handle, sugarbowl and cream jug. The bases are stamped G.L.&Co.S english pewter. They have a lovely hammered finish with beading around the rims. There are a few small dents. Could you please tell me what the initials stand for, the age roughly, and whether it is worth having the dents removed? Thank you. Regards, Kam

Answer
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Hello Kam,

Sorry to be slow replying.

Your teaset was made by George Lee & Co of Sheffield, England somewhere around 1930 - 1968, perhaps most likely in the first half of that period.

Dents: the monetary value of a modern teaset like this is very small, so it comes down to aesthetic considerations. You can remove some dents yourself, as pewter is a malleable metal. Use a hefty object with a relatively soft head (e.g. a rolling pin), and use many small taps. If you cannot reach the inside of a dent, then it is basically impossible to remove it yourself, and it would be very expensive to have a professional restorer do it. But then dents are part of the object's history, so you may find you prefer to keep them.

Hope that helps.

Martin
www.antique-metalware.co.uk