Description: Rare Antique Berndorf Alpacca Silver Plated Cigar Ashtray & Matchbox Holder. The base measures about 4 1/2" x 6"; it weighs 8 ounces. Tested with magnet and it is non-magnetic. No damage noted, good condition with a nice aged patina, would polish up nicely if one desired that - see detailed photos. The famous Berndorf Metalware Factory (in German Berndorfer Metallwaarenfabrik) was founded in 1843 in the small village of Berndorf, situated in the region Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. Interestingly, the foundry location is connected with its marking system. Due to the assonance between the words Berndorf and Bärendorf (in German the last word means "bear village"), many of the factory marks contain a bear profile.ALPACA-SILVER PLATEDThe “Alpacca” alloy (copper-nickel-zinc) is the basic material for 90 g silver-plated cutlery which was invented by Berndorf more than 160 years ago. Alpacca almost has the same specific weight as real silver and, when silver-plated, looks virtually the same. However, nowadays we also use stainless steel as basic material for silver-plating with modern flatware designs.The Alpacca alloy was developed in 1823 by the German chemist Dr. Ernst August Geitner (1783-1852). It was very similar in its appearance to silver, but significantly cheaper. Therefore, this new alloy was first called "Argentan". It consisted of 20% nickel, 55% copper and 25% zinc. The new silver-imitating alloy soon became very popular. The Gebrueder Henninger (Henninger Bros.) proposed a similar alloy (5-30% nickel, 45-70% copper and 8-45% zinc with trace amounts of lead, tin and iron) which they called "Neusilber". Later both Argentan and Neusilber were used under the trade name of Alpacca (or Alpakka). The great advantage of the use of Alpacca alloy as the base metal for silver plating is that the appearance of the objects does not change significantly with the wearing away of the silver layer.The earliest known Berndorf Alpacca mark was introduced around 1880.
Price: 25 USD
Location: Weymouth, Massachusetts
End Time: 2024-11-19T18:15:57.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
