Meriden Napkin rings

[JanGroen]

Good evening
I have bought this napkin ring pair today. It is marked MADE AND GUARANTEED BY MERIDEN B''COMPANY 364 USA. They are very heavy and plated on a grey base-metal. The one bird is missing a wing but it must have broken off time back as the edges are not sharp. The plating on that one is also very warn.
What age would these pieces be? On what are they plated? Are they rare pieces worth replating or will it ruin them? I find them very well made even though they are damaged.

Dankie
Jannie

[dragonflywink]

Dating would be circa 1880s-90s, the base metal was described in their catalogs as 'white metal', it's Britannia-metal (the name of the firm was Meriden Britannia Company), can't say that I'd replate them, some collectors prefer original finish even if worn. Asking prices can be fairly high, but figural napkin rings aren't quite as eagerly collected as they were a few years ago, values have dropped considerably for most designs, though a few still hold their value, yours is not particularly uncommon...

~Cheryl