Is silverode coin silver ?

[hc3]

I have a watch case marked

"Philadelphia Watch Case Co. Silverode"

inside the back .

Is this the same as coin silver?

Thanks!

[hc3]

I have a watch case marked

"Philadelphia Watch Case Co. Silverode"

inside the back .

Is this the same as coin silver?

Thanks!

[Jon Hanson]

no

[Spike]

From Wayne Schlitt?s Elgin (http://www.midwestcs.com/elgin/help/watch_values_evaluation_details.html) website: ?Starting, I think, around the 1880's, a nickel composition metal was used in watch cases. This metal looked very much like silver, but it was much cheaper, harder and it didn't tarnish. Different case manufactures had their own trade marks/brand names, but most of the names include "silver" as part of their name even though there is no silver in the case. Example trademarks include silveroid, silverine, silveride, silverode, ore silver, alaska silver, and nickeloid.?

The Lusitania was sunk in 1915. At Lusitania Miscellanea (http://www.unique-antiques.com/rmslucy/misc.htm) is a photo of ?a pocket watch salvaged from the wreck site during the one salvage attempt in 1982. The case was retrieved in remarkably good condition owing to the fact that it was made of an inexpensive zinc alloy to imitate silver. This "Silverode" alloy wasn't subject to decomposition as real silver would have been and thus the case came out of the water in as good a shape as it went in. The original movement and crystal didn't fare as well, unfortunately.?


[This message has been edited by Annie (edited 08-29-2002).]

[Jon Hanson]

Really white brass; and who says these don't tarnish???

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Jon Hanson, nawcc#8801

[terry hall]

gotta include those Alaska Silver in the NoN catagory also....

[Tom Huber]

Somewhere I read years ago (maybe a bulletin article), that the cases are a nickle, copper, manganese alloy. Each company utilized a slightly different percentage of each to guard against patent rights infringement. tom

[jagkar]

It seems ironic that these cases, containing no precious metals, are the easiest to restore. One simply whangs out the dents, mounts the case in a lathe, and sands the case smooth. Then after a little polishing, the case is just like new. And nobody can criticise this radical action, for the case has no inherent value, but looks great! Try to do that with your 18k cases, the flimsy things.

[abereiter]

Silverode, silver this and that. My favorite by far but, I like stainless also. My 2 cents

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Aaron Bereiter
NAWCC #156432