Silver Cutlery Set for 12 People in Showcase by Wilkens & Sons Germany, ca 1900

Mappin & Webb silver plate cutlery set for 12 people. England, early 20th century. A total of 151 pieces: 12 large knifes, 12 large forks an...

Silver 800 cutlery set for 12 people. Düsseldorf, Germany, late 19th century. Jugendstil period. Complete for 12 people. A total of 164 pieces: 12 ...

Mappin & Webb silver plate cutlery set for 12 people, England, early 20th century. Complete for 12 people. A total of 130 pieces: 12 large kni...

A Fine Early 20th Century 152 Piece Austrian Dinnerware Flatware Set by Berndorfer Metallwaaren-Fabrik, stamped 'Berndorf Alpacca', The Neoclassical Revival style set of Alpacca flatware comprising of: 12 Fish knives 12 Salad forks 12 Salad knives 12 Pasta spoons 12 Dessert spoons 12 Coffee spoons 12 Tea spoons 12 Ice-cream spoons 1 Ice thong 1 Soup ladle 1 Serving spoon 1 Salad spoon 1 Sauce/Gravy ladle 1 Meat carving knife 1 Meat carving fork 1 Salad fork All inside its original lined wooden storage-traveling cabinet. (See all images). Circa: Vienna, 1900-1930. 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, 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 and, unlike sterling silver, it does not require frequent polishing or cleaning due to tarnishing. The earliest known Berndorf Alpacca mark (No.1) was introduced around 1880 and used until 1891. I found it on the bottom of a 30 cl teapot bearing the inscription KRIEAU, which corresponds to the "Wiener Krieau", the famous race course in Vienna. The mark No.1 represents an oval of 3.0 x 3.6 mm size bearing the lettering "BMF ALPACCA" (which means Berndorfer Metallwaaren Fabrik or Berndorf Metalware Factory) with the "M" and "F" letters being fused. Inside the oval there is a profile of a walking bear looking down. This mark is quite rare. BIBLIOGRAPHY - Ingrid Haslinger, Tafelkultur Marke Berndorf, Das Niederoesterreichische Erfolgsunternehmen Arthur Krupps (Ketterl Verlag, Wien, 1998), pp.1-174, (in German). - Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk and Claudia Kanowski, Modern Art of Metallwork (Berlin: Broehan Museum, 2001), 1-598. - Musterbuch ueber Tafelgeraete in Alpacca-Silber I, Alpacca-Silber II und Alpacca, Unversilbert (Berndorfer Haus, Berlin, 1928), pp.1-53, (in German). - Waltraud Neuwirth, Bluehender Jugendstil Oesterreich, Band 2: Firmen und Marken [Art Nouveau in Blossom - Austria, Vol. 2: Companies and Marks]. Vienna: Selbstverlag Dr. Waltraud Neuwirth, 1991, 1-288 (in German). - David N. Nikogosyan, 2008, Marks of Silverplated Hollowware...

19th Century - Cutlery Set - Zachariah Barraclough & Sons. English, 19th century, marketed by 'Zachariah Barraclough & Sons' dated 1893-1931. Composed of: 12 dessert forks and 12 des...

Outstanding monumental French 950 silver dinner size high quality Louis XV style Flatware set - 175 pieces. This set includes: 12 Dinner Size Knives, pointed, 9 7/8" 12 Large Dinner Size Forks, 8 1/4" 12 Luncheon Knives, pointed, 8 1/4" 12 Luncheon Forks, 7" 12 Teaspoons, 5" 11 Place Soup Spoons, 7 1/8" 12 Demitasse Spoons, 4 3/8" 12 Fish Forks, 3-tine, 7 1/8" 11 Fish Knives, flat handle all-sterling, 8 1/4" 11 Dinner Spoons, 8 1/4" 11 Pastry Forks, 3-tine, 5 5/8" 11 Ice Cream Spoons, gold-washed, 5 1/4" 12 Oyster Forks, 5 1/8" 1 Large Vegetable Spoon, 10" 1 Berry Spoon, 8 1/4" 1 Fish Serving Fork, 3-tine, 9 1/2" 1 Fish Servers, flat handle all-sterling, 10 3/4" 1 Oyster Ladle, 9 1/2" 1 Gravy Ladle, 6 7/8" 1 Large Cold Meat Fork, 10" 1 Flat Handle Master Butter, 6 5/8" 1 Hollow Handle Master Butter, all-sterling, 8" 1 Salad Set, gold-washed, all-sterling, 9 1/2" 1 Pie Server, flat handle all-sterling, 10 1/2" 1 Soup Ladle, 12" 1 Roast Carving Set, 2-pc, 12 1/2" 1 Lamb Shank holder w/stainless implement, 8 1/2" 1 Sugar Tong, 5 1/4" 1 Cheese Knife w/stainless blade, 8" 1 Sugar Sifter Ladle, gold-washed, 6 1/2" 1 Tea Caddy Spoon, 5 5/8" 1 Sardine Fork, 5 3/4" 1 Petit Four Server...

Gorgeous 18th century by Reed & Barton sterling silver flatware set- 57 pieces. This set includes: 12 knives, 9" 12 forks, 7 1/2" 12 salad forks, 6 1/4" 12 teaspoons, 6" 1 gravy lad...

This amazing set of 24 cutlery pieces. Fish Knifes & Forks for 12 people made in Sheffield, England in the 1910s. The original box. The antique set has the original manufacturer's la...

Hallmarked in Sheffield in 1873 by Henry Harrison, this striking, Victorian, Antique Sterling Silver Dessert Set, comprises 18 place settings, all with engine turned decoration and b...

Dinner Size Mary Chilton by Towle sterling silver Flatware set - 52 pieces. This set includes: 8 Dinner Size Knives, 9 3/4" 8 Dinner Size Forks, 7 7/8" 8 Salad Forks, 6 ...