Alpaca Compote Oval Maker Seal w/ "AK"?

[Traintime]

Bowl topmarked by maker next to "ALPACA". Applied border work. Base appears to be silver plating over copper. Possibly German origin (?), but word Alpaca was also used occasionally by North American makers in the long past. Mark is an ovalesque seal with letters stamped over lower portion (poor stamp..hard to capture).

[Traintime]

Added shots of seal:

[Traintime]

Horrible images! My best guess was some form of tower design in the center of the oval shield.

[Traintime]

I have to recant on the letters. What I took to be partials are apparently the ends of the ribbons on the left, and foot of the inner tower design on the right. (Seems that everything needs some redacting this year.)

[kerangoumar3]

alpacca is a trade name belonging to berndorf for their silver substitute. it is nickel silver, aka "paktong" "baitong" "white copper", originating in china and known in europe since the end of the 16thc. in 1823 the germans held a competition to see whose alpaca would most closely resemble silver. a number of factories produced it and used it in domestic omplements as well as musical instruments. alpaca as used fraudulently to create expensive "silver" trumpets etc. as well as morgan dollars - might be worth your while to get your library to hunt down a book on such marks - if it exists. these may be available on inter-library loan, as well.

if you are struck by the number of german books on the subject - alpacca was developed and heavily used in the german states for everything from frets to medals.




Alpacca-Silber (Bestecke) vom Goldenen Vliess. (2 Prospekte).
WÖTZEL & CO. GmbH. -:
Published by Aue in Sachsen. (Um 1934)., 1934

Preisliste 314 für Wello-Chrom-Bestecke (Verchromtes Original-Wellner-Alpacca).
WELLNER August SÖHNE SÄCHSISCHE METALLWARENFABRIK AG. -:
Published by Aue in Sachsen. Oktober, 1931

Spezialität: Alpacca naturpolierte und Alpacca-Silber-Tafelbestecke.
GRIMM Otto Kurt SILBERWAREN-GROSSHANDLUNG -:
Verlag: Reichenbach i. Vogtland. Ausgabe (1925)

Lebensfreude (Bestecke und Tafelgeräte aus Alpacca - Silber).
Wellner
Verlag: Aue Wellner ca (1935)

Bavaria-Bestecke Alpacca-Versilbert.
BAYERISCHE ALPACCAWARENFABRIK AG. -:
Published by Neu-Ulm a. d. Donau. (Um 1937)., 1937

Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik Arthur Krupp A. G.
Published by Berndorfer Metallwarenfabrik Arthur Krupp A. G., Berndorf, Austria, 1930

Articoli casalinghi di metallo nichelato, argentato e di alpacca.
Grandi Empori Ottorino Bassetti. Pisa

Posateria e vasellame di alpacca argentata e naturale.
Argenteria Wellner. Firenze -

Wellner-Silber" - ein alter Begriff für schwerversilberte Alpacca-Bestecke. [Umschlagtitel abweichend:] Original-Wellner Bestecke.
Published by [Aue für] Berlin [Sächsische Metallwarenfabrik August Wellner Söhne für] Heinrich Ellinghausen Uhren und Goldwaren ohne Jahr [], 1929

Preis-Courant über Kirchen-Geräthe der k.k. priv. Alpacca- und China-Silber-Waaren-Fabrik von W. Bachmann &Co.
ANONYM)
Verlag: Wien, Eigenverlag, u. 1890: (1890)

Prontuario Peso dei Metalli. Lastre - Dischi - Tubi - Angolari - Piatti - Tondi - Reti - Funi, ecc. Alluminio - Alpacca - Argento - Atesia - Bronzo - Ferro - Ghisa - Nickel - Ottone - Piombo - Rame - Stagno - Zama - Zinco (170 tabelle). Con 42 tabelle di corrente uso riguardanti la Matematica, Meccanica, Chimica, e Fisica e 8 tabelle con la composizione delle leghe metalliche più note.
HOEPLI - METALLI) COMOLETTI, Giuseppe




more at google.de"Albert+Huttenlocher+Bijouterie-+und+Alpacca-Warenfabrik"