Toronto - A collection of silver wine labels has both artistic and historical value.

    Such a collection is not too expensive for the collector of average means, and it is a safe investment, for the value of good marked silver never depreciates.

     England is the best hunting ground, but there is also a quantity of English silver in U.S. and Canadian shops, and while wine labels are not plentiful there are enough to make collecting them an interesting hobby.

     Remember, however, that collecting any article of silver requires a knowledge of silver marks.

     Although wine labels are small, they were made by important silversmiths. Their designs and shapes are usually of artistic worth and their workmanship as fine as that of larger pieces of silver.

    The first wine labels were made in the period between 1740 and 1760. Before this date, white bottles of British Delft were used, sometimes with the name of the wine painted on in blue.

     In the middle 1700s Zachariah Barnes of Liverpool made fine wine labels in Delftware to hang on kegs. But it was not until crystal decanters came into use that silver labels became popular.

    The earliest labels were narrow, rectangular and unadorned, except for the name of the wine, which included many old types such as, Mountain, rare Methusen, Colcavella, Madiera, Tinta, Boal and Holland, as well as English, Meade and Cowslip.

    Such names as these are rare and usually indicate an early date. Later, the rectangular shape became broader and the ends were often rounded or the corners cut to form an octagon.

     Early labels were also made in a shield shape and these are found plain or engraved with a grape and leaf design. The crescent shape and the kidney shape were also examples of some of the first wine labels.

    On the earliest labels only the initials of the maker and the lion passant were used. In 1784 an Act of Parliament required the marking and gave wine labels the official name of "Bottle Tickets".

    Sometimes the label was hung from the bottle by a ring of silver wire instead of a chain.

    Another means of placing the label on the bottle was a splayed silver hoop.

    Later, Hester Bateman (1790) introduced a new type of design which included a shield above the rectangular label. This shield was usually engraved with a family crest, or crest of a regiment. These are very rare. Leaf designs were introduced in the late 18th Century. These consisted of a single grape leaf in various designs, or a group of several leaves or leaves with grapes.

    Wine names on leaf designs include Port Sauterne, Burgandy, Sherry, Medoc and Hock.

    Other wine label designs came into being during the early 19th Century, and included a lion's head, shells, fruit and flowers, and a few rare labels in the shape of a clam or conch shell.

    Mathew Boulton made the first wine labels in Sheffield plate, to be followed by John Winter & Co., plus many others.

    They rarely originated a design and the wine labels seldom have marks. Old Sheffield labels are usually in poor condition with the silver worn off, showing the copper.

    Wine labels, and whiskey labels are still made today, but the early ones were not made in Canada, nor were many made in the United States. Early dated pieces from England can be worth a lot and are easily identifiable by their intricate design.

     So, if you're looking to start a collection, this might be a good, and somewhat unusual place to begin.