Culture & Arts
Antique silverware: Its Background and Value.
Nowadays, the term “silverware” refers to a wide range of items, including jewelry, antique silver tea caddies, flatware, silver handled baskets, porringers, coins, and silver medals or trophies, among many others. However, times have changed dramatically since the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian periods, when antique silverware was used on a daily basis primarily by the wealthy or royalty.
Silverware was made as early as the 12th century, and cutlery and flatware became extremely popular and fashionable only a short time later. The antique silverware items that have survived to this day were made from the same grade of silver used in coinage.
Many ordinary people outside of the nobility amassed vast personal fortunes very quickly during the Industrial Revolution, and the upper middle class emerged. Beginning in the 1840s, these “new money” people invested heavily in silverware in order to flaunt their wealth. People stopped eating with their fingers in the Victorian era and began using knives and forks, which were naturally made of silver for the newly wealthy. During this time, English flatware silversmiths found themselves extremely busy serving both the European and American markets.
Just as we collect labor-saving devices today, the upper middle classes collected sterling silver utensils as symbols of wealth but also for everyday use. Silver tea services, tea caddies, coffee pots, fruit baskets, sugar bowls, milk jugs, and countless other pieces of flatware and cutlery could be found throughout Victorian homes.
As can be seen in large antique silver collections, the Victorian period saw silver at its peak, but there was a remarkable decline at the start of WWII, not least due to a lack of technology in machinery to make the items. Historically, all sterling silverware was handcrafted and stamped by machine. During the Great Depression, labor costs were higher, and even wealthy households began to feel the pinch. They used fewer servants, didn’t host as many large dinner parties, and silver maintenance was a major task. Hand polishing sterling silver took time, especially on ornate and intricately designed pieces. Hence Flatware gained popularity because it was much easier to polish and maintain.
Silver’s value fluctuates as a precious metal, but for antique silver collectors, finding perfectly preserved Georgian, Edwardian, and Victorian silverware in perfect condition is a joy. Drinking from a silver goblet and using silver knives, forks, and spoons at a dinner party feels decadent. Serving coffee from a sterling silver coffee pot that has been in use for well over a century puts some of our porcelain and china counterparts to shame.
Antique silverware will always be valuable as an investment, and even if the price of silver falls, you can be certain that it will rise again in the future. Unfortunately, the demand for silver exceeds the supply, and some of the exquisite silver pieces that can occasionally be found in antique markets or hidden away in the attic are sold for scrap and melted down, a process that simply destroys the work of England’s great silversmiths as well as a piece of our history.
Bernard Warner has amassed an impressive collection of antique silver over the course of many years, becoming a renowned collector of Georgian silver from the reigns of George I, George II, and George III. Part of his vast collection, including pieces from the Queen Anne, William IV, Victorian, and Edwardian eras, is now for sale. Some pieces date from 1711.
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Many people have a hunting hobby because they can feel freedom from stressful daily activities and office work. Are you also one of those people? That is great. You can enjoy the thrill of hunting your target while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the hunting location. For that purpose, you will need a proper hunting weapon. Here, you are going to learn more about the crossbow.
In general, people prefer using hunting rifles for this activity. They see the crossbow as less effective than the rifle. Yet, some of them love to use the crossbow because it is more challenging. Furthermore, hunting with a bow, including a crossbow, will give you a different experience. It feels like you are really hunting your target.
Crossbow with Scope Feature
Among many types of crossbows, you can try one that has a scope feature. Why? The scope allows you to aim at the target much easier. Therefore, it helps you to enjoy your hunting activity more. However, it doesn’t mean you will be able to shoot accurately because of the scope feature. In most cases, the hunters that get their first crossbow with the scope feature miss 9 out of 10 of their shoots.
You need to practice to let you master this unique and cool hunting weapon. For that reason, we have already made a list of activities you can do to improve your hunting accuracy using this weapon. First of all, prepare the crossbow that you are going to use. Then, do not forget the supplies, like an arrow and of course, the target for your practice. Here is the step-by-step practice to improve your crossbow skill.
Train with Crossbow Scope
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Prepare the location
Choose the open area without animals, people, or buildings. You can visit the hunting practice range. However, if you don’t have enough money, you can use the open field that you can visit for free. Then, place your target. For the beginner user of the crossbow with a scope, you can choose 20 yards distance. This distance also helps you to understand more about how to use the scope.
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Prepare Your Crossbow
Check your crossbow with scope. Make sure everything is working without any problem. Try to cock your crossbow and see if it works well. Use the method that you like for this one. Then, take the arrow and set it on your crossbow.
At this point, you are ready to shoot it. You can choose to carry it with your arm or use a hunting tripod. For a beginner, use the tripod to improve stability and accuracy. Your goal in this practice is to get used to the scope function. Then, you can train your body to be able to hold the crossbow in a stable position.
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Shooting Your Crossbow
Aim by peeking through the scope. You can see several lines or dots in your scope view. Use the topmost line, the 20-yard line. Depending on the crossbow scope you use, the other line represents the 30 yards, 40 yards, and 50 yards distances. As for now, use the 20-yard line.
Move the crossbow until the 20-yard line touches the bulls-eye on the target. After that, you only need to pull the trigger to unleash the arrow. Make sure you only pull the trigger with your fingertips. Do not use your entire hand or arm. It will change the position of the crossbow and lower the accuracy. Shoot at least three arrows to get the data of your accuracy level.
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Adjusting the Scope
Go to the target and see how far your arrow is off from the target. Then, use it to adjust the scope on your crossbow using the knobs on the side of the scope. Use the data to get the correct settings. After you adjust the scope, you can move to the next step.
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Shooting Again
Shoot again and see whether the arrows have a decent grouping on the target. That means it hit a similar area with the closest distance between arrows. Once you get that, you are done. Now, you can practice by shooting more to improve your skill and get a better result. Use this experience in your real hunting activity.
Conclusion
As you can see, hunting with a crossbow with a scope is more fun than using a simple riffle. It requires more skill and physical ability to get the target accurately. You also can use other information on this website to improve your crossbow shooting skill. Then, enjoy the best hunting experience!
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