More info on Alexander Katsch?
Hello again
More info on Alexander Katsch, I think could well exist, but scarce, and where?
I know one archive, where historical documents of the German »
WMF« and their buy of »
Alexander Katsch, Berlin« are collected.
But when I was there, now 8 years ago, my research program was so immense, and my time so scarce, that I haven’t researched »
Alexander Katsch, Berlin«
details — I don’t know the volume of the documents (1 page handwritten notices? Or 100 pages, with 10 balances? Catalogues?). So I don’t know also if, and if yes, how many documents or notices on »
Alexander Katsch, Moscow«
there are kept too.
Sorry, if in Russian archives, or in them of other countries, documents on »
Alexander Katsch, Moscow«
exist, either I don’t know.
It’s a pity maybe for you, to have found after a long time search a needle in a haystack; but the needle is so much little, that you couldn’t fix there with all the questions you’ve to be solved. Now you’ve a »
name«
(sorry, not in Cyrillic) for to could search there for. But there for you need at least a basic knowledge in German, Polish and Russian languages.
That the by you consulted dealer, in a scratch of yours tray, couldn’t make out the basic material?
The by Alexander Katsch factory used basic material below the silver surfaces is almost not mentioned by marks struck.
In Poland, Nickel Silver was indicated by e.g. »
BM« = »
BIAÅO
METAL« = white metal.
As I've already mentioned before, my assumption is, that the items, marked with »
G.P.«,
were predeterminated for the Polish market, and for all the other then by Russia governed countries, which had next to the Cyrillic alphabet a national alphabet in Latin (e.g. Estonia, Finland, Lithuania ...).
In
1823 was
in Prussia held a competition, for to get a metal alloy, which polished surface would be look like, as to be made from a silver alloy of »
12 Lot« =
750-1,000 fineness —
but which hasn’t any percent of silver in it’s alloy composition. Reason there fore was the economic miseries, Napoleon had spread over Europe by all his wars.
Winner were in
1824 the »
Gebrüder Henniger« (Henniger Bros.), Berlin silversmiths’ — they baptized their alloy composition: »
Neusilber« (»
New Silver«).
Already in
1823 a chemist,
Dr. Geitner, had developed an own alloy composition, which he has baptized to be »
Argentan«. But he was excluded from the above mentioned competition; because he was a
Saxony, not a
Prussian.
Dr. Geitner’s 1823 alloy composition »
Argentan«:
55 % copper, 25 % zinc, 20 % nickel.
I suppose that the basic material Alexander Katsch factory has used for their production of plated items was more or less similar as that of Dr. Geitner or the Gebr. Henniger.
So the basic material below the scratch the dealer has observed has an appearance as look like to
be made of an 750-1,000 silver alloy.
»It is very heavy for a solid silver piece«, you wrote.
Now you could make some accounts:
Silver: 10.49 kg; Copper: 8.92 kg; Russian »
84« zolotniki alloy: 87.5 % Silver, 12.5 % Copper; »
Sterling« alloy: 92.5 % Silver, 7.5 % Copper.
Copper: 8.92 kg; Zinc: 7.14 kg; Nickel: 8.908 kg; Nickel Silver (alloy composition a la Dr. Geitner): 55 % copper, 25 % zinc, 20 % nickel.
Plus pure Silver (10.49 kg) surface of about 320 gram-360 gram per 1 square metre [or: 50 cm by 50 cm, plated on both surfaces = 80-90 gram solid silver]. Please look here for info on gramage of plated items:
http://www.925-1000.com/a_platenumbers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
»It is very heavy for a solid silver piece«, you wrote.
Permit me please a kindly yoke: Then you must invite Mr. Schwarzenegger, to become your butler if the tray was made from »
84« zolotniki or in »
Sterling«.
After you’ve now a little bit more knowledge on yours tray, visit maybe again the dealer with a "
it's got me beat".
I hope that my, a little bit wide scattered, explanations haven’t boring you to much.
I wish you a happy use of yours tray, and a happy hunting for more info on »
Alexander Katsch, Moscow«.
Kind regards silverport