Electrolessly plated product having a polymetallic catalytic film underlayer

An electrolessly plated product that is a board having a circuitry pattern and insulating portions between conductive portions of the circuitry pattern, said product having been produced according to a method comprising:

• catalyzing substantially only a non-catalytic metal surface that is non-catalytic to nickel or cobalt by rendering said metal surface catalytic to nickel or cobalt, said metal surface being said conductive portions of the circuitry pattern, said catalyzing including:
• bathing said board having the circuitry pattern with the non-catalytic metal surface with a polymetallic catalyzing agent aqueous bath to transform said metal surface conductive portions into a catalyzed metal surface that is catalytic to nickel or cobalt, said aqueous bath including a deposition-enhancing metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and combinations thereof, and a secondary metal selected from the group consisting of tin, molybdenum, copper, tungsten and combinations thereof, said catalyzing agent bath further including an ester complex of a polyhydric compound and a boron reducing agent for cations of said metals included in the catalyzing agent bath, said bathing being under slightly acidic to generally alkaline conditions and being for a period of time sufficient to nucleate said non-catalytic metal surface conductive portions with an adherent catalytic polymetallic film from said polymetallic catalyzing agent bath and insufficient to deposit a generally continuous plating film thereonto;
• rinsing said thus bathed board with an aqueous rinsing agent to provide a preferentially catalyzed board that has said bath substantially completely rinsed from said insulating portions of the board, and said adherent catalytic polymetallic film remains on the conductive portions of the circuitry pattern as a deposit laid down in the presence of said ester complex of a polyhydric compound and includes each of said deposition-enhancing metal, said secondary metal, and boron of said reducing agent;
• and
• electrolessly plating an overplate onto substantially only said catalyzed metal surface and not onto said insulating portions, said electroless overplate including a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt and alloys including nickel and/or cobalt.