Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough.
Albion metal is a form of metal foil produced by rolling tin onto a lead base , or sandwiching lead between two sheets of tin .. foil. foil. rolling. metal rolling. tin. tin. lead. lead. An alternative method of production was to cast tin onto an ingot of recently-cast , congealing , lead .. tin. tin. lead. lead. Albion metal is used for decorative - rather than load-bearing - purposes , such as coffin adornments , toys , and costume jewellery , and for protecting foodstuffs and drinking water from contact with lead .. lead. lead. coffin. coffin. costume jewellery. costume jewellery. It was introduced and patented in 1804 , by Thomas Dobbs , an inventor from Kings Norton who was also a comic actor at the Theatre Royal in Birmingham , England .. Thomas Dobbs. Thomas Dobbs ( comic actor ). Kings Norton. Kings Norton. Theatre Royal. Theatre Royal, Birmingham. Birmingham. Birmingham. The patent was the subject of a legal dispute 1857 , when a vain attempt was made to use it to invalidate another later patent .