Page 627 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

SHANG HING
Swatow [Shàntóu]
circa 1900-1940

A manufacturer of high quality pewter items, sometimes silver plating them. As such, these are sometimes
mistaken for Chinese Export Silver even though pieces almost always carry a Swatow Pewter mark. But marks
can easily be removed for a variety of reasons and sometimes pewter can appear as a shining bright silver
colour and be mistaken for silver.

This three-piece tea set appeared in auction in the UK recently and was described as being “silver plated
pewter”. While I’ve yet to see a Chinese Export Silver tea pot with a spout that has an open beak, to an
uninitiated person they could be tricked into believing this might be silver. Being pewter, the weight would be
there.

I have chosen to include this piece in the catalogue simply as a warning - and perhaps even a curiosity.

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