Museum's Goes Silver for New Historic Exhibit

Observer Reports

Beginning Thursday at 5:30 p.m., the Anderson County Museum will open and exabit featuring a comprehensive collection of South Carolina. Many of the pieces are rare. British soldiers evacuating Charleston in 1782 after the American Revolution took with them thousands of pounds of silver from the city's homes and churches. The pieces that have survived into the modern day are made more precious by their scarcity. Today Palmetto State silver attracts collectors from all over the globe.

"Silver of South Carolina and Beyond showcases may fine examples of flatware, holloware and presentation silver from some of the masters in the Palmetto State," said museum Curator Dustin Norris.

"The majority of silver included in this exhibit is coin silver, or pieces with the same silver content as coinage of the time," said Norris. Coin silver is typically 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, while sterling silver is at least 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper or other metals. The other metals present in silver give it stability and strength that 100 percent pure silver would not have. The American silver industry adopted the Sterling Standard after 1865, so pieces created prior likely contain the 90/10 composition of coin silver with a few exceptions.

"Silver of South Carolina and Beyond is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see examples of silver ranging from the late 1700s to the early twentieth century," said museum Executive Director Beverly Childs. "We are excited to present this stunning exhibit to our community from two private collectors in South Carolina."

The Anderson County Museum is celebrating 41 years of preserving the history and heritage of Anderson County and South Carolina. Located at 202 East Greenville Street in downtown Anderson, the museum is handicap accessible and admission free.

The Fred Whitten Gallery and Whitner's Mercantile store hours are Tuesday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Roper Research Room is open 1-7 p.m. on Tuesdays and by appointment with the Curator. For more information, contact the Museum at (864) 260-4737.