Object of the Day 13 - Cheese grater

 This is an old Mouli cheese grater from France. My mother probably bought it there in 1954 when we lived in Germany. I used it many times when making lasagna. This is the best grater for mozzarella, but it is tinned metal and the tin is wearing off in places so I don't use it anymore.

I love old things and old kitchen things are so beautiful, but I am also very anxious and worry about everything. I have several utensils and pans that I think are tinned but tinned over what? Are they safe if the tin is wearing off. Is it safe to ingest tin? And what about whatever the base metal is? Could it be toxic? So I just keep my grater and baking pans but don't actually use them.