German silver is an alloy of primarily nickel, copper and zinc. It is also known as Nickel Silver, Paktong, and Alpacca. It looks like sterling silver but contains none. Many articles are labeled Ger. Silver or German silver, such as match safes or chatelaines. I have seen many of these items going for the same prices that sterling would bring, or more.

Because of the nickel content, many people are allergic to these items when used as jewelry. Don’t be fooled into thinking German silver is fine silver, even though some Ebay sellers list it that way. I have seen sellers put German silver in the title, show the German Silver or Ger. Silver hallmark, but describe the article as Sterling in the body of the description.

Many items are beautiful, such as old match safes. Buy them for their beauty, but know that they are not real silver.

Here is a great reference about the different alloys one may find that are not silver or precious metal:

http://pages.zoom.co.uk/leveridge/nickel1.html

If you are looking for genuine German silver, look for Echt Silber or hallmarks indicating silver content. There are many on-line guides to silver hallmarks. Do a little research before you bid.and you won’t be sorry.