English Silver Antiques & Collectables Course, taught by Duncan Campbell regular on the Antiques Roadshow

This course taught by Duncan Campbell the UK's leading authority on English Silver.  Duncan will take you through what a hallmark is and the importance of the Maker's Mark.  he will teach you about the history of Silver from before the English Civil War through The Golden Age of English Silver 1685 to 1837, Victorian Design and finally the 19th Century through to the present day.  You will learn how to spot a fake and get tips from Duncan himself as to what collectors look for

1.  What is a “Hallmark”.

The English hallmarking system, in operation since C.1300 is the defining quality of English silver to antiques collectors. This lesson will cover standard/purity marks, date letters, town marks and, in brief, silversmiths marks. This will give the student the ability to read the marks on any piece of English silver, to date it and to identify the area of origin as well as the silver content. There will also be a short explanation of the law relating to silver as far as it is relevant to the study of antique silver. This is required knowledge before any further examination of the subject.

2. The importance of the Maker’s mark.

Mentioned briefly in section 1. every piece of silver will bear the mark of the silversmith who made it. As in any art form there are good and bad artists. The lesson is essentially a tour through the more important makers of english silver. The result is to give the student the ability to assess silver articles for themselves based on the manufacturer and to have a basic knowledge of which makers are the most sought after to collectors.

The next four sections deal with design and style and might be separated to from the other 4 to become stand alone lessons (as required)

3. Silver before the English Civil War.

The story of antique silver in England is divided into “before and after the Civil War”. This lesson will cover the reasons for this:

i. The melting of manufactured silver into coinage to pay troops.

ii. The changes in taste after the restoration.

iii. The increasing wealth in England through the 18th C. and its impact on the production of silverwares.

The lesson will also include an explanation of silver styles (and influences thereon) from the medieval era unto the interregnum.

4. The Golden age of English silver 1685 to 1837.

The so-called Georgian period is synonymous with the very best of antique silver. This lesson will explain this development with reference to design movements, the important makers and the inextricable link between the silver industry and commerce and banking. This ought to provide the student with a good understanding of the tastes and practices of silver use during the 18th century and the monetary association of the metal.

5. Victorian Design.

This lesson will give an explanation of the influence of the industrial revolution on the manufacture and changing usage of silver, the advances in technology and the influence of science on production. The purpose of this lesson is to give the student the ability to discriminate on the basis of manufacturing technique and to understand the major fashion changes in silver over the period.

6. The “Studio” silversmith.

A highly sought after category of silver to collectors is the return to handmade silver as a reaction to the mass industrialisation of silver during the 19th C. This lesson will cover the period from C.1900 to the present day giving details of the most popular forms and makers in this field.

The result of this lesson will be to identify the difference between ordinary manufactured silverware and the much more valuable “artist/craftsman” products that collectors so treasure.

7. Fakes and Forgeries.

Throughout the history of silver, there has been a financial incentive to make fakes. Whether sub-standard metal or straight reproductions of valuable antique forms, fakers and forgers have always been busy.This lesson will give instruction in how to lookout for “wrong” silverware. There will be an explanation of common fakers’ techniques and how to spot marriages and altered items. The student will end up with a working knowledge of the common pitfalls of collecting - though this subject is too big to cover completely in one lesson, it will form a basis from which to start to discriminate.

8. What Collectors look for.

This lesson will cover the key elements that make an item of antique silver more or less desirable in the eyes of a collector. The areas covered include colour, authenticity of design, condition and rarity. This will allow the student to understand why two items that look very similar can have very different values.The key to understanding silver from a value point of view is to see it with a collector’s eye. This lesson will enable the student to do just that.

All abilities from the beginner to the professional