The Internet and the eBay effect on vintage Mexican silver and other collectibles
From time to time we post information about live auctions at traditonal auction houses that include lots of vintage Mexican silver jewelry or hollowware. It wasn’t too long ago that the primary venue for live auctions online was eBay’s Live Auctions, which linked eBay users remotely to auctions moderated by live auctioneers, both in physical locations and online. That ended in December 2008, when eBay discontinued the service because “maintaining and improving this platform falls outside our immediate focus.”
Auctionbytes.com recently published a two-part interview with Kerry Shrives, Vice President at Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers in Boston. In the interview Shrives discusses how Skinner’s Internet bidding was affected by eBay’s decision and how the pricing of antiques and collectibles have been affected by eBay.
Understanding the current environment is important for collectors of vintage Mexican silver and others who collect, whatever their niches may be – as Shrives points out, auction lots can and do sell for much less than expected. This has certainly happened with live auctions for vintage Mexican silver jewelry, hollowware and metalware. eBay can definitely help you build your collection, but live auctions can sometimes be the best way to score an underpriced treasure.
Read Part 1 of the interview.
Read Part 2 of the interview.
What’s on eBay now? Here are some listings for vintage silver pieces by Los Castillo:
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Vintage Los Castillo Mexican Sterling Silver Bracelet ! US $395.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Monday Sep-06-2010 18:06:57 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VTG MEXICAN STERLING SILVER LOS CASTILLO EARRINGS US $145.00 Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-07-2010 16:04:43 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VTG LOS CASTILLO TAXCO MEXICAN SILVER STERLING BIG PIN US $136.00 Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-14-2010 7:49:08 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VTG PEDRO CASTILLO MEXICAN STERLING SILVER PIN BROOCH US $75.00 Auction Ends: Friday Sep-17-2010 7:32:17 PDT | Watch this Item |
The beginning of World War II saw a number of European designers head for Mexico. French silver artist Jean Puiforcat, one of the 20th Century’s finest designers of silver hollowware, was among them. Puiforcat spent the war years in Mexico, where pre-Columbian art served as an inspiration.
This biographical information about Jean Puiforcat is excerpted from Oxford Art Online:
(b Paris, 5 Aug 1897; d Paris, 20 Oct 1945).
After service in World War I, he joined the family firm of silversmiths, working as an apprentice and designer. Concurrently he studied sculpture with Louis-Aimé Lejeune (1884–1969). Puiforcat designed silver objects in the Art Deco style as simple volumes with smooth profiles and surfaces and proportions based on geometric ratios. He was a founder-member of the Union des artistes modernes. His designs were mostly for tableware, but in 1934 he exhibited liturgical silver for the first time, and the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937), Paris, included his stone sculpture of René Descartes (The Hague, Maison France). At the onset of World War II he left France, eventually settling in Mexico (1941). He opened a studio in 1942 and exported his silver mostly to the USA. He returned to Paris in 1945 but died immediately after his arrival.
Antiquitiesweb notes:
In Mexico, Puiforcat produced new models inspired by Mexican motifs and incorporating more flamboyant decorative details, such as studs and scalloped bands. As Puiforcat said, a piece of tableware had to accomplish its function, “but it is also a companion in our interior….A work of art must in its modest sphere elevate the soul by its beauty.”
Artcyclopedia has links to information and photographs if you’d like to learn more about Puiforcat.
It is often possible to find work by Puiforcat, both French and Mexican, on eBay:
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AMAZING JEAN PUIFORCAT HARVEST SILVER MEDAL PENDANT US $500.00 Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-07-2010 16:05:33 PDT | Watch this Item |
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Octagonal JEAN PUIFORCAT Limoges TAN TU DISH France!! US $30.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-07-2010 17:53:11 PDT | Watch this Item |
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SPLENDID FRENCH SILVER ART DECO SET BY JEAN PUIFORCAT US $9,800.00 Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-12-2010 5:40:31 PDT | Watch this Item |
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Jean E Puiforcat Art Deco Tea And Coffee Set C 1925 US $35,000.00 Auction Ends: Thursday Sep-23-2010 8:20:59 PDT | Watch this Item |
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Fine Mexican Sterling JEAN PUIFORCAT Art Deco card tray US $9,999.00 Auction Ends: Friday Sep-24-2010 7:36:08 PDT | Watch this Item |
University student’s research project on the history of Taxco’s silver market
Found online: a recent graduate of Appalachian State University’s e-portfolio includes a
research project on the silver market of Taxco. The project required her to:
1. research a variety of sources to learn about the history of the Taxco silver market
and 2: collect first hand research from an actual visit to the city of Taxco through direct interaction with the city, its people and its silver market
The article looks at Taxco’s history from pre-Columbian times to the present day, and for those who are not aware of how the silver business in Taxco functions today, may be an eye-opener.
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VINTAGE TAXCO MEXICO STERLING SILVER TURQUOISE NECKLACE US $145.00 Auction Ends: Friday Sep-03-2010 7:58:48 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VINTAGE TAXCO MEXICO STERLING SILVER BRACELET US $65.00 Auction Ends: Friday Sep-03-2010 8:01:41 PDT | Watch this Item |
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Taxco .925 Silver Vintage Floral Earrings Jewelry US $24.00 Auction Ends: Friday Sep-03-2010 8:03:24 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VINTAGE TAXCO MEXICO STERLING SILVER LINK NECKLACE 40GR US $85.00 Auction Ends: Friday Sep-03-2010 8:05:17 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VINTAGE TAXCO STERLING SILVER LATON PIERCED EARRINGS US $6.07 (3 Bids) Auction Ends: Friday Sep-03-2010 8:06:53 PDT | Watch this Item |
Which vintage Taxco silver items have the most watchers on eBay right now? Take a look:
Where to find help identifying vintage Mexican silver hallmarks and makers’ marks
You might be a new collector of vintage Mexican silver, or perhaps you don’t collect it at all but have just found a piece at an estate sale or flea market. Where can you go to get help identifying the maker and learn when the piece was made?
Chances are you don’t own any hallmark reference books, and it’s very likely that your public library’s collection doesn’t include any books about Mexican silver hallmarks. Luckily, online resources are available to help you. Here are a few of them:
Mexican Silver Marks at 925-1000.com
Mexican Sterling Silver Marks
Mexican Silver Hallmarks and Makers
Mexican Silver Hallmarks
Discussion boards and forums – you can post photographs and describe the item, and others will post comments concerning anything they know about the maker. Generally those who frequent these boards want to be helpful, but they may not always be correct. A well-moderated board with a moderator who is knowledgeable about the topic is your best bet.
Mexican Silversmiths at 925-1000.com
Jewelry and Gemstones discussion board on eBay
Fine Jewelry, Gems & Precious Metals discussion board on eBay
The ultimate hallmarks and maker’s marks resource for collectors is The Little Book of Mexican Silver Trade and Hallmarks, which you will want to purchase if you are hooked on collecting vintage Mexican silver:
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If you’ve ever researched William Spratling, you’ve probably come across John Shelton Reed’s article The Man From New Orleans in the Oxford American (November/December 2000). Like other articles and books about William Spratling, this article references the 1948 Warner Brothers movie The Man From New Orleans, a short documentary-style profile of Spratling. It would be neat to see the film, but unfortunately, getting a DVD (or even a VHS) seems to be virtually impossible – if you have a copy to sell, rent or loan, please get in touch!
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VINTAGE MEXICO STERLING SILVER SPRATLING? BAND RING US $9.95 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Saturday Sep-04-2010 17:41:58 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VINTAGE(40'S) WILLIAM SPRATLING MEXICO SILVER BUCKLE US $67.69 (5 Bids) Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-05-2010 12:54:58 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VINTAGE MEXICAN SILVER DECO PIN BROOCH SPRATLING ERA US $79.99 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-07-2010 18:08:45 PDT | Watch this Item |
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30s SPRATLING Mexican Silver Shot Jigger + VTG Barware! US $149.00 Auction Ends: Thursday Sep-09-2010 23:17:23 PDT | Watch this Item |
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VTG SPRATLING TAXCO MEXICAN SILVER STERLING 2 BUTTONS US $100.00 Auction Ends: Sunday Sep-12-2010 18:47:19 PDT | Watch this Item |
