493 ON THE PRICE OF MATERIALS. 



Thus in the last year of this period, new pewter is purchased 

 by King's College at 1 id. the lb., while old is disposed of at gd. 



Pewter vessels and spoons of this period are not infrequently 

 discovered, but I am not aware that any analysis has been 

 made of their composition. The London dealers were incor- 

 porated into a company. In 1701 the livery had 102 members 

 and the trade was in all probability a flourishing one. Occa- 

 sionally large purchases were made. Thus in 1692 King's 

 College buys over two hundredweight, in 1693 nearly two, in 

 1694 over three, in 1695 nearly there, and in 1696 over three. 



Towards the end of the period a new kind of material for 

 plates is quoted, under the name of hard metal. The first 

 entry is by the dozen, by which I conceive is meant a dozen 

 pounds. It costs from i$s. to 14$". the dozen, ordinary pewter 

 being quoted at us. the dozen pounds. Perhaps the material 

 is the same as that which at is. 4d. the pound is spoken of in 

 the year before (1695) as the new fashion dish. In 1700, hard 

 metal plates are quoted at I s. 6d. the pound, new pewter being 

 at n</., while old hard metal is registered at lod. The 

 material is probably some late discovery. It is said that a 

 larger admixture of copper and antimony with tin gives a finer 

 kind of material. 



In the earlier part of the period a service of pewter is called 

 a garnish. But the term appears to have gone out of use in 

 the first quarter of the seventeenth century. Among the 

 articles made of pewter I find chargers, pie plates, platters, salad 

 dishes, pastry plates, and flagons. In nearly all cases, these 

 articles cost more by the pound than ordinary pewter plates 

 do, such plates being very generally used. I think it also 

 probable that the difference in price between old pewter in 

 the earlier part of the period from that obtained in the later 

 is to be explained by the likelihood that pewter was originally 

 supplied from some foreign market, that in later times the 

 manufacture was naturalised in England, and that therefore 

 broken stuff fetched a higher price when it could be re- 

 fashioned at home. 



