Napkin Holder, Circa Early 21st Century

Yesterday, as I was in the kitchen and on the phone with my husband, I noticed that the matte finish on our wicked cool, simple, tubular metal napkin holder is scraping off. It's shiny underneath and is starting to look a little beat up if you look closely at it. I got it online from Chefs Catalog and really liked it when I bought it pre-compact. I casually mentioned the current state of the napkin holder to my husband and it really got him going.

Now, why can't a napkin holder last 300 years?! I bet I could make a napkin holder that could last 300 years--I bet I could make one that would last 1,000 years. Why shouldn't a napkin holder last hundreds of years?!

He could do it. He's a great designer and could figure out the best materials and the best way to fashion it. Somehow, I don't think that a napkin holder is what our progeny would like to inherit from us, but I don't think they want this either, do they?