ENGLISH NICKEL SILVER ANTIQUE MATCH HOLDER & STRIKER, C.1910-30

This Simple, Yet Elegant, Nickel Silver Match Holder & Striker Is Of English Origin And Was Manufactured Approximately 1910-1930. It has a “garter” frontal design with a plain back. At the base, it has impressed “REGD. NO. 109847”. The lid has a spring mechanism which is working perfectly. The spring mechanism is very strong.

COMMENT: A Real Nifty Collector Item!

CONDITION: This little novelty item is in very good condition save for slight surface wear which is to be expected for items of this antiquity and having had lots of usage over the years. Nice "patina"!

WHAT IS NICKEL SILVER?

Nickel Silver is an alloy composition that usually contains nickel, copper and, often but not always, zinc. It contains no silver. Nickel silver was first manufactured in China a couple centuries ago and was called “Paktong”. In 1832 it was manufactured in Birmingham, England. Berndorf manufactures of Germany called it “Alpacca” or “Alpaca” and were using it as early as 1820.  Throughout Europe, “Nickel Silver” was referred to as “Alpacca”.

Nickel silver became widely used after 1840 with the development of electroplating, as it formed an ideal strong and bright substrate for the plating process.

From the Late Edwardian to Art Deco Era (1910-1930) many silver manufacturers that made silver plate, used this in many forms of silverware. It sometimes when not polished has a tendency to appear as if a yellow cast is showing through. In the 1920s-1930s, many nickel silver items were mounted on dark brown bakelite stands or pedestals. Trophies were a prime example of this execution.

Other names applied to Nickel Silver have been “German Silver”, which contains no silver, “Paktong” (coming from China), “New Silver” and “Alpacca” (a European terminology).

The content of copper, nickel and zinc may vary percentage wise depending upon which alloys are or are not used in the Nickel Silver piece that is produced. Sometimes zinc is not used; if such is the case, the percentages of copper and nickel (used) are going to be higher. Usually if zinc is used, the percentage of zinc varies from 10-45% in combination of 5-30% nickel and the balance alloy of copper usually 25% or more, depending on what percentage of the other two alloys are used. If copper and nickel are combined, the percentage of nickel may be 30% in conjunction or combination with as much as 70% copper.