Drinking from a Victorian pewter tankard - lead risk?

[Krupp88]

I have a thing for collecting antique pub glasses and earthenware and ended up buying a pewter tankard to add to the collection.

From the markings (VR 2) its from the period 1879 - 1901. I like to use my collection for their intended original use, drinking beer from, however I am a little unsure on the safety aspect as its not clear when the use of lead stopped in the production of pewter.

From a bit of googling the advice is unclear, some sources state that the use of lead continued up until the 1970's , other that items stamped 'PINT' (as this one is) mean that the composition is safe.

Its a lovely piece, even marked with the name of the pub, The Sportsmans Inn, Pickard Street.

[Arkose]

BUMP

I also have this question! - I have a tankard from 1945 (war commemoration one) that I would like to drink from, been drinking from it for a number of years every so often... no ill effects but now unsure if I should continue...

[768]

You can buy lead swab test kits online for a tenner or so.

[55palfers]

I'll bet there are loads of houses where the drinking water is via lead pipe.

I was brought up in such a house from 1955 to about 1980.

You'd probably have to drink a million gallons of beer before any harm.

[JoshSm]

Arkose said:

BUMP

I also have this question! - I have a tankard from 1945 (war commemoration one) that I would like to drink from, been drinking from it for a number of years every so often... no ill effects but now unsure if I should continue...

If you're worried forget about checking the tankard, get a lead blood test instead.

This will tell you if you have something to actually worry about rather than thinking about what the tankard may or may not do or have already done.

Periodic use isn't likely to do much of anything but if you're worried about cumulative exposure do the test that will give you that information.

Personally I wouldn't worry much about it unless you polish the inside of the tankard regularly, really love acidic beer, like to let it sit in the tankard for hours getting warm, and drink lots of it daily.

[Fatboy]

JoshSm said:

Arkose said:

BUMP

I also have this question! - I have a tankard from 1945 (war commemoration one) that I would like to drink from, been drinking from it for a number of years every so often... no ill effects but now unsure if I should continue...

If you're worried forget about checking the tankard, get a lead blood test instead.

This will tell you if you have something to actually worry about rather than thinking about what the tankard may or may not do or have already done.

Periodic use isn't likely to do much of anything but if you're worried about cumulative exposure do the test that will give you that information.

[b]Personally I wouldn't worry much about it unless you polish the inside of the tankard regularly, really love acidic beer, like to let it sit in the tankard for hours getting warm, and drink lots of it daily.

[/b]
The bold is key - you'll probably find the alcohol would do you damage quicker than the trace lead contamination

[Panamax]

55palfers said:

I'll bet there are loads of houses where the drinking water is via lead pipe.

In hard water areas lead pipes shouldn't be a problem because a layer of scale builds up inside the pipe, isolating the lead away from the water. In soft water areas lead pipes ought to be replaced.

[jdw100]

Don’t drink lemon juice from it.

I recall reading years back that people considered lemons to be poisonous, turns out it was the juice leaching lead from pewter.

I could be remembering that incorrectly.

[JoshSm]

jdw100 said:

Don t drink lemon juice from it.

I recall reading years back that people considered lemons to be poisonous, turns out it was the juice leaching lead from pewter.

I could be remembering that incorrectly.

Anything acidic can leach lead. Beer is also acidic, if less so.

On the upside people don't tend to consume tankards full of lemon juice. I'm not sure anyone would ever be eating enough lemon off pewter to notice the effects of the lead even if they licked it clean.

I suspect the idea they're poisonous was actually linked to the bitterness, which is a common warning sign for stuff that really would do you harm.

[Jonmx]

Not much to say in relation to health risks, but great to hear there's other folks using vintage drinking vessels. I have a few 1930's and 40's beer glasses I use all the time and a couple of Victorian pewter tankards for weekends. On special occasions I have a silver goblet stamped 1815 that was made from French silver at the end of the Napoleonic War (The Duke of Kent drunkenly 'gave' it to me at a mess dinner around 25 years ago) and a late 17th century German glass cup. Knowing other folks have used them a couple of hundred years ago is pretty cool.