Expert: Martin G Roberts - 3/31/2009

Question
I have a family teapot that has come down to me.  It seems too shiny to be pewter, not shiny enough to be silver.  The body of the pot is shiny, the handle and spout look more like pewter.  It has a lot of scrolly design on it, large leaf pattern on spout and a cute flower finial on cover.  It has a maker's mark that looks like 9146 to me.  I would appreciate any information you can give me.  I'm just curious about it because we did have a silversmith in our family way back, but didn't know if pot was that old.  Thanks in advance for any information.  Debby

Answer
-

Hello Debby,

Sorry to be slow replying.

I'll do the easy bit first: 9146 is a pattern number, but since these are not recorded, it does not help identify maker, origin or date.

Your description of the decoration suggests a mid Victorian design.

Pewter can be all sorts of colours. Newly fashioned pewter is bright and silver like, but over time, if left alone, it will dull down, acquiring an oxide layer than can, eventually, appear almost black. But then if kept polished, it may remain bright, or develop a softer, mellow patination. However, these highly decorated mid Victorian teapots were, more often than not, silver plated. You may be seeing areas where the plating has worn, showing darker, or areas where the silver plate has tarnished.

The pattern number suggests the output of a large factory, of which there were many making teapots like this in England, mostly in Sheffield and Birmingham, in the mid-late 19th Century.

Hope that helps.

Martin
www.antique-metalware.co.uk