James Yates Pewter

I am trying to get a handle of my late grandparent's collection. I figured I would start with Pewter and see what information I can get. A couple items are marked as James Yates. What do I need to know about pewter in general IE: what to look out for and how to know the value of something. This is a broad question but I am trying to get a feel for this.

Thank you in advance.

 

Please always>>>
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I did research on one a few years back. What little I remember.
Pewter tankards had to be weighed and inspected for some reason.
The numbers, 30, 47, 55 and 58 are years, whether that was 1754 or 1854, I can't remember.

Investigate English pewter tankards.
These might be better with a specialty dealer/auction, if you have a large collection.


Adding:
Mine was British. That's why I suggested English.

 

I saved one of the sites. Maybe this will help

http://web.archive.org/web/20110820235847/http://pewtertankardsflagons.com/index.php?p=1_2_-Marks

 

Thank you, appreciated!

 

Those look like Victorian English measuring cups, called bellied measures. They were made in different sizes by lots of different makers - see this link for James Yates, which were made in Birmingham from 1860 to 1902: "bellied measures ... made in a whole range of sizes from one gallon down to very small fractions and survive in large numbers until today" http://www.pewterbank.com/James_Yates_-_revised_article.pdf

In general American pewter is more valuable than English or Continental, and earlier pewter is more valuable - 18th century more than 19th, and 19th more than 20th which has very little collector interest.