Word of the Day: German Silver, Britannia Silver, Sterling Silver, Sheffield Plate

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Word of the Day: German Silver, Britannia Silver, Sterling Silver, Sheffield Plate

Monday, July 6th, 2009 | Economics, Guns, Word of the Day |

I had always heard of German silver in relation to antique firearms. I just recently realized German silver doesn’t contain any silver at all. From Wikipedia:

Nickel silver is a metal alloy of copper with nickel and often but not always zinc. It is named for its silvery appearance, but contains no elemental silver unless plated. Other common names for this alloy are German silver, paktong, new silver and alpacca (or alpaca).

Britannia metal is a pewter-type alloy favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition is approximately 93% tin, 5% antimony, and 2% copper.

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.

Britannia silver is an alloy of silver containing 95.84% silver, with the balance usually copper.

This standard was introduced in England by Act of Parliament in 1697 to replace sterling silver as the obligatory standard for items of “wrought plate”. The lion passant gardant hallmark denoting sterling was replaced with “the figure of a woman commonly called Britannia“, and the leopard’s head mark of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths replaced with a “lion’s head erased”.

Sheffield plate is a layered combination of silver and copper that was used for many years to produce a wide range of household articles. These included buttons, caddy spoons, serving utensils, candlesticks and other lighting devices, tea and coffee services, serving dishes and trays, tankards and pitchers, and larger items such as soup tureens and hot-water urns. Almost every article made in sterling silver was also crafted by Sheffield makers, who used this manufacturing process to produce nearly identical wares at far less cost.