princess mary tin

[jwp]

went to a antique and collectables fair today and picked up a tin which seemed in good order, slight wear to the lid through cleaning but no splits around the hinges, on closer examinatiation it has an amount of red spotting which to me looks like rust, I thought brass would not rust ???, should I attempt to clean this off or leave as is ?, if it needs cleaning to preserve it what would be the recommended treatment ?, just to add this is for my own collection, I paid £25 gbp.,
kind regards,
John.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi John, sometimes you do see red spots on brass. I guess it is down to impurities in the metal?

Don't clean it. These tins were gilded originally. But the majority have suffered the effects of "Brasso" metal polish over the past 99 years.

Take a look at mine here:

Princess Mary's gift tin 1914

Cheers, Ade.

[Airborne125]

Where was the militaria fair JWP?

Steve

[jwp]

thanks ade, the marks on mine do look similar to the interior of yours, I will leave it alone,
all the best ,
John.

[jwp]

steve,
not a militaria fair, an antiques and collectables fair in the village of Saltaire near Bradford, Yorkshire,
cheers,
John.