Britannia metal is a
pewterPewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around...
-type
alloyAn alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more elements in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history...
favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition is approximately 93%
tinTin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead, like the two possible oxidation states +2 and +4...
, 5%
antimonyAntimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropic forms. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid. Yellow and black antimony are unstable non-metals...
, and 2%
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
.
It was first produced in 1769 or 1770, under the name of "Vickers White Metal", by the Sheffield manufacturers Ebenezer Hancock and Richard Jessop.
After the development of
electroplatingElectroplating is a plating process that uses electrical current to reduce cations of a desired material from a solution and coat a conductive object with a thin layer of the material, such as a metal...
with silver in 1846, Britannia metal was widely used as the base metal for silver plated household goods and cutlery.
Britannia metal is a
pewterPewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally between 85 and 99 percent tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around...
-type
alloyAn alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more elements in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history...
favoured for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition is approximately 93%
tinTin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead, like the two possible oxidation states +2 and +4...
, 5%
antimonyAntimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropic forms. The stable form of antimony is a blue-white metalloid. Yellow and black antimony are unstable non-metals...
, and 2%
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
.
It was first produced in 1769 or 1770, under the name of "Vickers White Metal", by the Sheffield manufacturers Ebenezer Hancock and Richard Jessop.
After the development of
electroplatingElectroplating is a plating process that uses electrical current to reduce cations of a desired material from a solution and coat a conductive object with a thin layer of the material, such as a metal...
with silver in 1846, Britannia metal was widely used as the base metal for silver plated household goods and cutlery. The abbreviation
EPBM on such items denotes
Electroplated Britannia Metal. Britannia metal was generally used as a cheaper alternative to electroplated
nickel silverNickel silver is a metal alloy of copper with nickel and often but not always zinc. The usual formulation is 60% / 20% / 20% Copper / Nickel / Zinc It is named for its silvery appearance, but contains no elemental silver unless plated...
(EPNS) which is more durable.
Some authorities and collectors think this "
white metalThe white metals are any of several light-colored alloys used as a base for plated silverware, ornaments or novelties, as well as any of several lead-base or tin-base alloys used for things like bearings, jewellery, miniature figures, fusible plugs, some medals and metal type.Some of the metals...
" sometimes formed a base for early experimentations in
mercuryMercury , also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum , is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80...
and tin or
lattenThe term Latten refers loosely to copper alloys, much like brass, employed in the Middle Ages and through to the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, for items such as decorative effect on borders, rivets or other details of metalwork and for funerary effigies. It was commonly formed in thin sheets...
metal plating in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
One notable use of Britannia metal (also referred to as
Britannium) is to make the
Oscar statuettesThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
handed out each year at the Academy Awards. The 8½-pound statuettes are Britannia metal plated with gold. The
America's CupThe America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige...
is also made of this material.
Britannia metal should be distinguished from
Britannia silverBritannia silver is an alloy of silver containing 95.84% silver, with the balance usually copper.This standard was introduced in England by Act of Parliament in 1697 to replace sterling silver as the obligatory standard for items of "wrought plate"...
, a high-grade alloy of
silverSilver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
.