Where can I find pewter?

If you are looking to find some pewter a great place to start is the garage and yard sales in your area. You can check out the old silverware and plates (or even bed pans like the one above!) that some older homes may have from them.

What is the source of pewter?

​Tin, the major constituent of pewter, is produced from tin ore, the major sources of supply being the Far East and South America. Tin is completely non-toxic, melts at a relatively low temperature (232C), has very good fluidity when molten, has good formability, and readily forms alloys with other metals.

Is pewter an expensive metal?

Correct. Pewter is a precious metal, just not as precious as platinum, gold or silver. Pewter is a metal that is 90\% tin mixed in with a bit of copper and has a very low melting point, which makes it easy to pour into a jewelry mold. It is also much cheaper than silver or gold, so the price is a lot less.

Why is pewter so expensive?

Affordability: Since pewter contains mostly tin, typically along with traces of copper, antimony, or other harder metals, the alloy certainly costs less than gold, platinum, and even silver. Most pewter jewelry and other products are valued for their beauty and workmanship more than for the cost of the metal.

How can you tell if a metal is pewter?

Examine the coloring of your item. Silver is usually shiny and “silvery,” after its name. It’s a bright metal with a high luster. Pewter, on the other hand, looks more like lead and has a much darker, duller sheen than silver.

Can pewter be recycled?

Pewter is recyclable. To recycle pewter, waste metal is collected and melted down in a smelting pot before being cleaned and poured into ingots for re-use.

What is pure pewter?

Pewter (/ˈpjuːtər/) is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99\%), antimony (approximately 5–10\%), copper (2\%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners but lead may be used in lower grades of pewter, imparting a bluish tint.

Is there copper in pewter?

Pewter with little or no lead is of finer quality, and alloys that include antimony and bismuth are more durable and brighter of sheen. Modern pewter is about 91 percent tin, 7.5 percent antimony, and 1.5 percent copper; the absence of lead makes it safe to use for dishes and drinking vessels.

Can you clean pewter?

To keep oxidized pewter looking its best, you should gently wash it with warm water and dishwashing detergent, then rinse and towel dry. Now that you you know how to polish pewter and your pieces are looking shiny and new, don’t forget to spend some time cleaning and polishing the rest of your collection!

Is pewter worth more than gold?

Pewter is an alloy of tin and lead. While it doesn’t have the metallurgical value of silver or gold, it can be worth a significant sum depending on its age, condition, and manufacturer.

Is pewter better than silver?

Pewter is softer than silver so it will bend or dent easier. It also has that beautiful shine similar to sterling silver but it will start to naturally dull over time. You can easily bring back its shine with a few wipes of one of our jewelry polish pads.

Can you drink out of a pewter cup?

Note that antique pewter or, occasionally cheaper eastern pewter, may contain lead. This tends to discolor over time to a grey-blue color. Over time drinking a beverage from a tankard made of leaded pewter or lower grades of pewter can be very bad for your health, and we agree with the FDA that this is a bad idea.