pewter shaker

[onlylar]

found this salt or pepper shaker on the shore of the Delaware near some old ruins in Frenchtown. Looks pewter. What period is it, can anyone tell ?

Update: Thanks to Troy,,,who did a little research for me, he found the identical shaker on Ebay, and it is a Spice Shaker,,Scroll down to see the pic and the link. Thankyou Troy

 

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[TreasureTales]

Are their any markings on the bottom? Let's see a photo of the top. Pewter was used extensively in America from 1620 to about the mid 1800s I believe. It was known as the "poor man's silver" because it was more expensive than tin but less expensive than silver.

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Are you sure its for pepper or salt? Up until Victorian times ,salt was kept in an open salt cellar and pepper was ground. The early shakers for salt had a little arm inside to break up the clodded salt.

Is there anyway we could see a better pic and are there any markings on it?
Nice find

 

[1dirtyknee]

Didnt they used to sprinkle sand on the fresh ink when they wrote something? Maybe it was a sand shaker
idk

 

[EDDE]

Didnt they used to sprinkle sand on the fresh ink when they wrote something? Maybe it was a sand shaker
idk

 

[DCMatt]

Didnt they used to sprinkle sand on the fresh ink when they wrote something? Maybe it was a sand shaker

You may be on to something.

Yes, they used to sprinkle powder or sand on wet ink to help it dry.

By the mid-nineteenth century they replaced the sand shaker for a blotter.

Can we see a picture of the holes in the top?

DCMatt

 

[TreasureTales]

OK, I'm going with a sand shaker, too.

 

[DCMatt]

Thanks for the additional pics.

I still think sand shaker. I was looking for a flat top with a raised rim as well as large holes (larger than a salt shaker). The rim and large holes allowed excess sand to be poured from the paper back into the shaker.

Difficult to date but I think you can assume mid-1800's at the latest.

Nice piece. I'd use it as a salt shaker!

DCMatt

 

[dugupfinds]

Nice find

 

[mojjax]

Here is a similar one on Ebay - it's in the completed items list - so you might have to log in to see it :

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pewter-Spice-Sh...60QQihZ011QQcategoryZ1214QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[EDDE]