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Heavy Ornate White Metal Jewelry Casket with "Alpacca" Inserts / Rococo Design / German Early 20th Century

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    Posted 11 years ago

    mikelv85
    (1232 items)

    This is really a beautiful and heavy "white metal" piece from VOA today. It measures 5 1/2" L x 3 1/2" W x 4 1/2" tall and weighs a hefty two lbs. ! Boxes or "caskets" of this type were popular souvenirs during the early 1900's. The Rococo design is very intricate and looks amazing ! The medallions look like silver and they even polished. I found out it's called "German Silver" or "Alpacca" which is an alloy of 65% copper, 19% zinc, 14% nickel and 2% silver. Sometimes it's even plated with more silver.The front has two, the back and sides have only one and one on the lid. Same with the gold, it shines brighter as you polish it. The interior is lined with red velvet on the lid and bottom. There is no mark of any kind. The few I looked at online were not marked either. The one corner has been damaged on the lid. I don't know how you chip metal but someone did. Probably hit it hard against something during donation and handling and being so heavy it broke. White metal is very brittle. It's so ornate you don't notice it right away. Despite this it sure looks impressive! -Mike-
    This was an interesting read:
    http://www.jewelboxbook.com/newsletter/?page_id=627

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    Comments

    1. mikelv85 mikelv85, 11 years ago
      OK now this is getting interesting. This is the full size version of this box weighing in at 9 lbs. measuring 8 "x 7" x 6" tall. The top is identical to mine and they say the inserts are sterling silver. So that's why they polished up ! Guess I have the "mini me" version !

      http://www.rubylane.com/item/213082-107-54-162/Vintage-German-Sterling-Metal-Relief
    2. kerry10456 kerry10456, 11 years ago
      Mike, sometime the smaller the better, easier to display it and more room along side of it. :-)

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