Topic: Lead Glass and Metal 'Thistle' Foot

[petet63]

Hi all. Another of my Curio buys. A good ring to the glass. I am not good with metals but it looks to be silver coloured metal coated with a copper coloured metal. The underside of the foot has a Thistle motif. It looks like there should be a stone set into the centre. It is 10cm in height and 5.5cm in Diameter. The stem of the glass comes down to the bottom where the 'stone' should be. I dont know if it was made this way or a marriage of some sort.

[Lustrousstone]

I think I hear wedding bells

[brucebanner]

Looks like a wardrobe draw handle from the 30's on a mid Victorian cordial glass with out it's foot, i found this one recently i think it's an early Victorian cobalt blue wine glass  on an Edwardian solid silver vase stand base.

[petet63]

I had a feeling wedding bells were in the air An early upcycler  Would be nice if the 'handle' was solid silver on this piece. It does have some weight to it but not really looked for marks on it. It does have that silver look about it but no idea how to tell apart from it not being magnetic. (I have another 'silver' item but cannot find out if it is silver) It must have been quite a wardrobe with handles like this.
    I must try this on a modern glass with an Ikea wardrobe handle. 

[Paul S.]

try using a couple of drops of Cif or similar on a slightly damp tissue - or obviously metal polish if you have some - and if it comes off black then you have silver

[chopin-liszt]

Proper "Silver plate" (ie. not EPNS), is, I think, from Birmingham only and was made by rolling sheets of silver metal copper metal together and the two becoming fused by heat. It can be more valuable than solid silver, (depending I imagine on the individual hallmarks on it) it is scarce stuff.

I do find myself wondering if that is what the bottom part is, given the presence of copper.

[Frank]

Very much a home made repair. The copper bits are quite well made and brazed would really need a test kit if you cannot decide if silver. A tribute to early recycling where utility and the feel of the glass on lip were not lost.

[kimo]

Sheffield Plate is the term used for taking a thicker sheet of copper and a paper thin sheet of silver, rolled them through a high pressure press and the result is the silver bonds to the copper.  This is then hammered or pressed into molds or otherwise shaped.  It is different from electroplating where one normally starts with a fully shaped piece of metal - typically nickel and zinc or such - then silver is electrically plated onto it.  The metal part of this marriage seems to be Sheffield plate where the silver layer has been worn through around the narrow part.  As others have said, it is taking two pieces of what would otherwise be tossed in the trash and making something from them.

[chopin-liszt]

Doh, Sheffield, not B'ham. Thanks for correcting me, Kimo.

[Frank]

Just another possibility for the metal piece. Browsing a 1920s Ediswan catalogue I found very similar plates with holes that were sold for facing light switch boxes.