What is The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen?

Founded in 1970 The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen (ABPC) was formed with the aim of supporting and advancing the pewter industry here within the UK.  British pewter although once very popular had fallen out of favor perhaps due to the quantity of lead that was being used within the mixture.  The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen was formed to turn this around and was made up of manufacturers, metal suppliers and the Worshipful Company of Pewterers who’s earliest recorded date established was 1348, although it is thought they were active before this time.

The Worshipful Company regulated the pewter trade throughout the UK and in 1474 a Royal Charter was issued to cement this in to the history books.  This right to regulate the pewter trade no longer exists however The Worshipful Company still strive to support the pewter industry by helping promote the use of pewter and pewter products.

The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen has achieved fantastic results in raising awareness of British pewter, pewter production as well encouraging innovation within the industry which in turn leads to high standards and excellence in manufacturing.  Due to the hard work carried out by the ABPC British pewter has firmly been established as a quality product both at home here in the UK and across the world.

The ABPC council is responsible for monitoring the quality of pewter produced as well as monitoring any use of the ABPC pewter marks which only it’s registered members are given permission to use.  These marks are the ABPC triangle logo pictured above which denotes that you are a member of the ABPC and the Seahorse mark (also pictured) which represents the badge of quality.

With European law preparations taking place in Brussels it also falls to The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen to overview any proposals relating to the regulation of the pewter trade, in particular this relates more towards pewter content standards than specific designs.

For pewter businesses that offer high quality pewterware being part of The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen is a sure fire way to support British pewter and the advancement of the industry.  The ABPC are always looking to prove to the world that British pewter products really are the best in the world and with these guys behind our pewter industry it is not wonder we lead the way in pewterware.

British pewter really is prized throughout the world for its quality and design, it’s no wonder as pewter has had a long history in the Britain and will continue to have many more years of producing fine pewter items thanks to companies like The Association of British Pewter Craftsmen as well as the wonderful manufacturers who have made the production and design of pewter products their life.

For more information on the ABPC and how to become a member see here.