All copper cookware old or new must feature an unbroken tin lining to be safe for food prep. Picture: iStock

WHETHER you’re weak for a super sleek contemporary interiors, or more content nesting down into a traditional room folded together disparate eras, there’s always a place for a stand-out heritage thing. 

The idiosyncratic presence of something clearly old but undoubtedly well made with honest wear and a long story will always draw the eye. 

Copper and brass (copper/zinc alloy) have the advantage of some gently honed flash, and their colour and versatility has drawn users and collectors for centuries. Choose from dented, glowing, antique kitchenalia respectfully retired to display, to 1960s brass storks stepping it out, brass printing plates, planters and much more. There’s always some curious thing hanging around those boot sale trestle table, just begging for a polish.

Copper has been used from Mesopotamian times, as it was malleable, reusable and easily worked into useful vessels and decorative details. Today, collectors of copper and its alloy brass, are largely on the hunt for two things. The first is “large” copper and brass showstoppers — warming pans, and larger period cooking ware from the 1800s.

The second are copper and brass pieces from the Arts & Crafts era. Its exponents embraced the honesty of these materials as key moments in reviving an appreciation of the handmade piece not formed on a factory line. 

One of the most famous names for these artisan expressions in copper (and occasionally brass) is Newlyn, or the The Newlyn School, headed up by artist John Drew Mackenzie .

Based in Newlyn Cornwall, at the turn of the last century, the studio (largely fishermen struggling to make ends meet) produced everything from tobacco jars to huge copper chargers, inkwells, candle-sconces and picture frames featuring complex beaten repousse design made with mallets and punches on the bench. 

The most sought after examples include bas-relief carp-like fish in bubbling water winding through undulating weeds and other maritime motifs with a slightly medieval vibe. Newlyn is popular and therefore expensive.

Anything vaguely 1890s to 1910 carries a premium. ensure you buy from a trusted dealer, as sellers are known to apply artificial patinas using ammonia, salt and other corrosive substances to age new pieces. 

Brilliantly faked by the boatload, oriental brass and bronze deities and other antiques are equally difficult to distinguish new from old — don’t lose your mind on eBay.

In brass, one of the most all-consuming fads of the 1980s was the collecting of horse brasses, used in the British Isles to decorate the 19th-century harnessing for draught horses. 

Studded around the fireplace, they were popular for pubs and Tudor black, beamed ceilings. Brass is tough and heat resistant. It was deployed extensively by the Georgians and Victorians for door furniture, taps, coal scuttles, bells, jardinieres, fire surrounds and to ape more expensive bronze ornaments as it just winked out that nice warm golden tone from the inky darkness.

Good brass will be well cast, with sharper edges, good detail and no visible seams or machining marks. There’s a big division of nautical antiques in brass, much of it dodgy decorator reproduction.

Most copper and brass is not marked, but it’s worth looking for a stamp — try winkling up a baize pad on the bottom. 

Mid-century gazelles and storks will rarely be identifiable, but for its line and clear style, but younger buyers are snatching up figures, bookends, trivets and candlesticks to place on their 1960s and 1970s vintage furniture finds. Artists have regularly rediscovered brass, most famously Italian-American Harry Bertoia (1915-1978), who coated other materials in molten brass for a delicate delivery.

Keep in mind, if you use copper pans, vintage or antique, they must have an intact lining of tin or you’ll poison your dinner-party guests at worst or ruin that gazpacho at best. Brass may not be brass at all, but a brass outer coating. If the piece is magnetic (use your fridge magnet for a quick test) it’s a coating rather than the solid stuff. Brass coatings are skinny — tread softly.

Cleaning copper or brass (only possible if it’s not sealed), there’s a rub. Inevitably, as you clean off that familiar green oxidation, a microscopic layer of the metal or alloy is coming with it. If the piece has a beaten or tooled design, this can, over time make sharp detail less pronounced. 

Some copper fans bravely immerse their pieces in vinegar and salt, but that’s a pretty brutal solution as a first try for more than a cheap vintage coin. Regularly polishing, will head off a lot of verdigris clouding before it even starts.

Baking soda and lemon juice are generally safe for most cleaning tasks, but could prove corrosive and damaging to copper or brass if you are too rough. 

Ensure the soda is dissolved into the lemon juice (orange juice is fine) before you start. Use a soft yellow duster, wipe the piece off with clean water to finish and dry immediately. 

Salt, vinegar and flour is an alternative paste — lather it on and leave it for about 45 minutes before polishing off. 

If you use toothpaste, use a non abrasive type without scratchy crystals. Be careful when holding any vessel with a copper handle, that you don’t lean into and bend it as you work.

Ketchup is also mildly acidic and can be applied with a soft cloth to lift tarnish and stains from copper. I like tomato paste out of a tube as it’s so easy to handle. 

Martha Stewart, the high priestess of all things rustic and chic in the US, recommends a light coating of mineral oil or baby oil to finish. 

This keeps air from the metal or alloy just that bit longer, preserving its shine. 

Brass is reasonably robust, and you can dunk solid pieces like a brass elephant from the 50s directly into the sink with a little dish soap, rinse Dumbo off and polish up. 

Don’t do this with coated brass, it will ruin or remove the lacquer protection, and keep in mind, it’s only a skim of brass in your hands.

Many pieces, including door handles and other decorative items are not suited to immersion, as they have multiple materials or a hollow core. Just clean them in your hand, and leave a little verdigris on show to highlight the detail. 

If you prefer to use a chemical option like Brasso, wear thin gloves and work in a well ventilated area. Use wadding if it’s provided, turning the cloth or wadding to find a clean spot as it blackens.

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