Information on Vintage Mexican Silver

Time Frame

• Mexican silver has been mined and used in many types of objects since the pre-Colombian period. The height of popularity for Mexican silver was from the 1930s to 1950s, after silver artist William Spratling moved to Taxco, Mexico, and created the "Taller de Las Delicias," or Workshop of Delights, in 1929.

Types

• Collectors of vintage Mexican silver have many items to choose from. They can specialize in silver tableware, religious symbols or jewelry.

Artists

• Many of the best-known artists who produced vintage Mexican silver objects came from Taxco. Spratling, Hector Aguilar and Los Ballesteros specialized in making jewelry and religious objects.

Cost

• Vintage Mexican silver pieces made by well-known artists sell for up to 10 times the value of their silver content. Collectors can start with lesser-known or anonymous silver artists. Most vintage silver pieces are 92.5 percent silver, but works by artists such as Spratling are known for being 98 percent silver.

Mixed Metals

• Some collectors also consider "metales casados," or mixed-metal objects, a good investment because of their high quality of artistry. These are made from a combination of silver, copper, brass and other metals.