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German silver is an alloy of 4570% copper, 530% nickel, and 845% zinc — sometimes small amounts of tin or lead are added. It has a color resembling silver. Other names are Nickel silver, Pakfong (also Paktong) and Alpacca (originally a trademark of Berndorf AG).
It originated in China and was discovered to be a copper-nickel-zinc alloy in the 18th century. In 1770 the Suhl (Germany) metalworks were able to produce a similiar alloy and in 1823 a competition was initiated to perfect the production process by creating an alloy that posessed the closest visual similarity to silver. The brothers Henniger in Berlin and A. Geitner in Schneeberg independently achieved this goal.
German silver is used in a wide range of applications, including brass instruments, coins (e.g. GDR marks, Portugese Escudo), cheap jewelry, cutlery (also silver-plated). To distinguish silver-plated German silver from massive silver, in the United States a marking EPNS for electroplated nickel silver is required.
Its technical uses include marine fittings and plumbing fixtures for its corrosion resistance, and heating coils for its high electrical resistance. Other common uses of German silver include zippers and model railway tracks.
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