A
collection of silver wine labels has both artistic
and historical value.
Such a collection is not too expensive for the
collector of average means, and it is a safe investment,
for the value of good marked silver never depreciates.
England is the best hunting ground, but there
is also a quantity of English silver in U.S. and
Canadian shops, and while wine labels are not
plentiful there are enough to make collecting
them an interesting hobby.
Remember, however, that collecting any article
of silver requires a knowledge of silver marks.
Although wine labels are small, they were made
by important silversmiths. Their designs and shapes
are usually of artistic worth and their workmanship
as fine as that of larger pieces of silver.
The first wine labels were made in the period
between 1740 and 1760. Before this date, white
bottles of British Delft were used, sometimes
with the name of the wine painted on in blue.
In the middle 1700s Zachariah Barnes of Liverpool
made fine wine labels in Delftware to hang on
kegs. But it was not until crystal decanters came
into use that silver labels became popular.
The earliest labels were narrow, rectangular and
unadorned, except for the name of the wine, which
included many old types such as, Mountain, rare
Methusen, Colcavella, Madiera, Tinta, Boal and
Holland, as well as English, Meade and Cowslip.
Such names as these are rare and usually indicate
an early date. Later, the rectangular shape became
broader and the ends were often rounded or the
corners cut to form an octagon.
Early labels were also made in a shield shape
and these are found plain or engraved with a grape
and leaf design. The crescent shape and the kidney
shape were also examples of some of the first
wine labels.
On the earliest labels only the initials of the
maker and the lion passant were used. In 1784
an Act of Parliament required the marking and
gave wine labels the official name of "Bottle
Tickets".
Sometimes the label was hung from the bottle by
a ring of silver wire instead of a chain.
Another means of placing the label on the bottle
was a splayed silver hoop.
Later,
Hester Bateman (1790) introduced a new type of
design which included a shield above the rectangular
label. This shield was usually engraved with a
family crest, or crest of a regiment. These are
very rare. Leaf designs were introduced in the
late 18th Century. These consisted of a single
grape leaf in various designs, or a group of several
leaves or leaves with grapes.
Wine names on leaf designs include Port Sauterne,
Burgandy, Sherry, Medoc and Hock.
Other wine label designs came into being during
the early 19th Century, and included a lion's
head, shells, fruit and flowers, and a few rare
labels in the shape of a clam or conch shell.
Mathew Boulton made the first wine labels in Sheffield
plate, to be followed by John Winter & Co.,
plus many others.
They rarely originated a design and the wine labels
seldom have marks. Old Sheffield labels are usually
in poor condition with the silver worn off, showing
the copper.
Wine labels, and whiskey labels are still made
today, but the early ones were not made in Canada,
nor were many made in the United States. Early
dated pieces from England can be worth a lot and
are easily identifiable by their intricate design.
So, if you're looking to start a collection, this
might be a good, and somewhat unusual place to
begin.
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