Topic: pewter tankard with oriental touch marks

[Paul S.]

these items are not uncommon at boot sales, generally, although most are modern and from the last 40 - 50 years, with the odd Tudric piece if you're very lucky.                 This one seemed most out of character  -  I'd never seen an example with Chinese/Japanese touch marks, plus an engraved dragon.        About 5" tall, and with a glass bottom, which I guess means it isn't very old, although seems to have achieved quite a good patina, and maybe glass bottoms are a guide to dating.       The only words I can make out are 'KUT HING SWATOW' - and I may well have photographed some of the other marks upside down .         Some of the marks are smallish, so don't know how they will look on the screen.       Grateful for anyone's thoughts, and thanks for looking.

[Anne]

Kut Hing is the maker and Swatow is the place it was made. It appears that Swatow was a centre for pewter making in the 19th century, Swatow is now called Shantou and is a city on the east coast of Guangdong.

Refs:
http://www.pewter-pleasure.com/antique-pewter.html
http://www.collectorcafe.com/article_archive.asp?article=410&id=1754

The person who owns the 2nd site also has a glass bottom tankard:
http://www.pewter-pleasure.com/antique-swatow-pewter-tankard.html

In fact, glass bottom tankards date from the 18th and 19th centuries and were apparently designed to help drinkers avoid the navy press gang - the story goes that press gangs would drop a shilling into a man's drink, and when he'd emptied it and found the king's shilling in the bottom then it was deemed that he's agreed to accept it and so was taken off to sea by the press gang. By having a glass base he could pick up his drink and check the bottom for that pesky shilling before he started to drink it. http://www.walshbrothers.co.uk/Update/glass_bottom_tankards.htm

[keith]

That looks a little familiar,mmmm ,all with the same marks as above!

[Paul S.]

thanks Keith  -  I had in fact just typed the following, so will let my words stand for now, and catch you later.    Your middle example looks very similar.

I am grateful indeed Anne  -  especially for the fact that you make such an effort to find data  -  it does make me feel inadequate.   Sincere thanks for your reply  -  very interesting  -  and I would never have thought that glass botommed tankards started life in the 17 hundreds - amazing - and the story is intriguing.     I will come back to all this later in the week (I shall be out of action tomorrow), and digest a little more.      Maybe one of the other marks might indicate the date, possibly.     But at any rate, it would seem there is a good chance that this tankard might be C19
thanks again.

[Tigerchips]

I remember owning a tea caddy with that name, just like this one.... http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/19thc-chinese-kuthing-pewter-globe-116609334

It was very peculiar, bit like me really.