Is Pewter Worth Reselling?

Every once in a while I spot a bit of pewter in a thrift store or at the flea market and I’m drawn to it. Particularly the older pieces that have a fabulous deep gray patina. But I’ve learned (the hard way) to restrain myself from buying most of it.

When I first started in this biz I assumed pewter items had more value than they did. Years ago I bought a small Norwegian pewter ewer for $8 at a flea market. It still had its tags! I thought I could resell it for $40-$48. I was wrong. I later discovered it was a fairly common piece and brand. It sold for $20.

But my biggest pewter debacle was buying a $30 bundle–a tray piled with items all taped up. My first mistake was that the style of the items just wasn’t on trend. The coffee/tea pots looked “old fashioned.” My second mistake was not untaping the whole lot and looking at the interior condition of the pieces. Sadly most of them were badly corroded. My third mistake was spending hours trying to remove the worst of the corrosion with lemon juice and baking soda. In the end I decided to redonate the whole lot except for the tray (which is still stored in my garage).

Now I know some of you reading this are shaking your head. Yes, I still could have tried to sell them online or put them in a yard sale or found some creative repurposing idea for them. But I wanted to be done with them. I was willing to accept this purchase as a mistake and move on.

But it hasn’t been all doom and gloom. Over the years I have bought and sold a few pewter things that did okay.

This lidded mug was a bit fussy but nice quality. Loved the claw feet.

These Gorham napkin rings had such a classic look that I knew I’d do okay with them! The two packages of four came in their original boxes.

This decorative pewter box inlaid with lapis and turquoise (likely faux) was attractive and I thought would appeal to a wide range of folks.

So no big scores, but items that were worth reselling…at least for me.

And here’s my epiphany…buying pewter to resell is much like buying silver-plate items.
You want quality and typically age (80+ years).
You want pieces with well-executed details.
Certain makers bring more cachet to a piece.
Condition counts, though some wear/patina can be pleasing and is expected!

All this to say I haven’t given up on pewter. I still look and assess pieces…now with a more realistic expectation. Most of it I don’t buy.

Still I did think this footed bowl by Bernard Rice & Son (BRS), circa 1890s, was something special. It has some light water damage in the bowl but is otherwise darn good condition!

Would love to hear if your thoughts about pewter.

Karen