Antique silver is one of the oldest and best loved collecting subjects. At the top end of the quality scale, the work that went into making a fine piece was of an extremely high order. However, the majority of silver was used in the middle levels of British society and the collector has clearly to understand the varying qualities of production that he encounters if he is to buy well and avoid inferior pieces. In addition, the collector must understand what can happen to a piece during its lifetime. On the one hand it can acquire a supurb patination, and on the other, it can be dented, bent, broken, marked or even altered to enhance its apparent quality. The consideration of all these practical factors and many others is covered in this second edition. The pieces are arranged chronologically within each main subject heading so that developing styles may be clearly understood, while the 1100 photographs have been specially selected by the author.
