Joining this tread has definitely warmed my old blood.Great,enthusiastic,educated & hardworking searchers ! This got me out into the Garage and digging thru some boxes. Here's a piece I picked up 10-20 years ago.It's the small-size of Knox's Whiplash Vase for Liberty & Co.This is the 'poor mans' version,no cabochons,stone,enamel-still a great form. Basic (maybe later) stamp-'English Pewter','029' and '1'. Question-should I polish this old man or not-for Ebay,etc ? Not sure which look Pewter & Arts Crafts people like.
This looks far too oxidised to be able to bright polish, it is near enough impossible to get ones like this shiny without acid treatment so I'd leave it alone.
Gorgeous, and it looks fine as it is. You could try to give it a rub with a sunshine cloth, to see if you can highlight the curves and repoussé decoration. Sunshine cloth is for silver, but you can use it on any metal. Let's wait and see what the others say.
I think the patina is perfectly appropriate for the subject...and it's honest. That's a very attractive piece, and I believe eBay will second that opinion just as is.
Thanks folks- Patina is an extraordinarily essential part of an old piece.Like all that original Early American furniture on Antique Roadshow that Grandpa had stripped & refinished-'Oh yeah,I member it looking all black when i was growing up' says the proud new owner.Then of course the patient guest expert has to tell the owner/victim-'Sorry,but Gramps refinished about a 100 grand out of your bank account'. Victim replies bravely-'Thats OK,we still love it...' Said owner trudges back to his Van thinking about the balance on the Mortgage, College Tuition and never seeing Paris/Tahiti.
oops sorry ! forgot to ask re Patina:Why are Silver & Pewter two of the antique categories that are OK to polish ? (ans prob obvious,but i sure don't know) PS-Thanks for the tip re Sunshine Cloth wise A J (this poster is sharp !)
Just watched a UK Antique Dealer-he toothbrushes his Liberty Pewter w/soap & wtr,drys it thoroughly ,then coats it w/ clear beeswax.
Because that's how they were intended to be, and badly tarnished silver can look awful on display. Silver platters are also intended for use, did you want to eat your food from a nasty looking black and brown dish? It all depends on use, age etc, some jewellery can look good with the crevices oxidised as it adds contrast, other pieces can look terrible. Regarding the pewter, these items were brightly polished when new, and ones still in this condition fetch a premium price. But once pewter has gone beyond a certain point it is nearly impossible to polish back up. You either have to use acid to strip the surface or mechanically sand it down and polish, neither of which are good options.
