TIPS FOR IDENTIFYING OLD SILVER

[ARGENTUM49]

Holloware silver up to 18th century was made by hammering a single sheet of silver over a wooden template. Therefore, e.g. beakers, bowls and teapots had no soldered bottom or soldering line alongside. No matter how polished the soldering line is visible if carefully examined. In 19th century and afterwards, holloware was made by curving the sheet of silver (often using machines) to make a cylinder and then the line where curved ends met they were soldered. The bottom is cut from the sheet of silver and soldered. To make things easier, hollowware was often made in two pressed halves soldered together. But again, there is a soldering line to be seen. Even smaller objects were made this way, as seen in Hanau silver to imitate old Augsburg or Nuernberg, much demanded by the market. The rule of thumb should be: first look at the manufacturing process an item was made and if it is OK, look for the hallmarks. The exception are ``duty dodgers`` in Great Britain. This what they did; made a light flatware and brought it to the assay office to pay tax depending on weight and had their light flatware fully hallmarked. Then they returned to the workshop, made a heavy teapot, cut the flatware already hallmarked into desired shape and soldered it to a teapot. In short, tax paid for 15oz and a teapot had e.g. 30 oz.

[JLDoggett]

Actually, for centuries, hollowware has been made using the form and solder process you describe as being modern. Many very early examples of hollowware, as seen in early Greek pieces and almost all of the Etruscan works, were made by a combination of raising a curved cup-form then having the sides made from a sheet that was curved around a form with the butt ends soldered together and fitted to the cup to form the body of the goblet, chalice or ewer. The body could them be ornamented and fitted with handles, bases, other appendages to make them utilitarian as needed. This system has been in use for centuries especially in less technologically proficient areas of the world.

Starting in the 16th century and still being used today is the process of raising a vessel from a single sheet hammered over a iron/steel stake with special hammers to form the body which may then be chased and/or applied with feet/base, rim, handles, spouts soldered onto the body. It was not until the advent of cheap steel that this became common in the late 17th century.

Many modern pieces, post 1880, have had their bodies made by spinning a sheet of metal onto a wooden/metal form. This last process can be used to form complete hollowware bodies or parts thereof (with some assembly required.) This process was developed fairly late in the industrial revolution and has been used to produce piece with lower cost.

Lastly there is a process wherein a hemispherical die is used to punch out half of a vessel body, mated to another half and the whole soldered together. This process has been mostly used for pieces that would be plated as the solder seams are almost impossible to hide through polishing.

Therefore the presence or lack of solder joints is not the best indication of age. But examining solder joints will give an indication of the skills at the craftsman’s hand. I have always enjoyed examining a piece to understand how it was created, to learn what skills were in use by whom and during what period. This is especially important in understanding the socio-economics of a given era and what people felt was important in their lives.