We seem to have drifted away more than 7000 years to days when copper and tin were common.
Tin was the covering to copper things because copper was subject to tarnich and tin as we know isn't too affected by acids in the same way. It's recorded in the Old Testament and the hollow pillars of Boaz`nd Jaxhin have their place in free Masonry and the Tarot. For those who do not belomg to 'The Craft', it is no secret. Naked little boys workning at a dangerous sea level exttracted copper on the Great Orme in North Wales- certainly i Roman Times and tin, further South was extracted and is the reason - if we have forgotten, is why all these designs for pumping out sea water is still copied.
As I mentioned earlier 'tinning' was and still is commonplace in Europe. Lisbon( Lisboa) has streets of coppersmiths. The Gypsies on the Le Po nt D'Avignon on the River Rhone will pick your pocket. or sell you a tinned dish. Across in the snows is or was the frozen body Otzi in what once seemed primeval ice.
The copper murder weapon was copper of bronze and whether he was on the Italiam or the Austrian side is still conjecture. The news may not have reached across the Pond but Otzi seems to have a connection with copper and tin.
My limit on such things is a Die shaker of aropund the early 1800's. Die, incidentally is the plural for dice
. But the copper is not tinned and it is covered with silver Georgian coins and is silvered not tinned.
Over the many family cleaning probably with sand, there is little left of the silver and it graces one of my =toilets.
But from a collector's point of view it dates back with some of my oil paintings of the early days of steam.
We know that John Dobson was not only an architrct as such in the North of England but was instrumental in designing the Newcastle Railway Station and close associations with George and son Robert Stephenson the railway pioneers and one of paintings- sadly unsigned- is of what is claimed to be the first railway locomotive to cross the Botder Counties bridge over the River Tweed into Scotland ay Berwick on Tweed which is supposed to be still at war with Germany. Well that is the story and possibly of more historical interest than whether or not to mend someones rejected toy.
Me? Quite simply the guardian of information
Normam