Five Navajo Silversmith Blanks from Al Packard’s Estate [SOLD]

It is not often that we, as consumers, see the unfinished work of a silversmith.  In fact, it is quite rare to find.  In this group of five, we see items in several steps of completion/incompletion.

There is a copper fork which is the pattern used to trace a fork onto the flat silver sheet.  The copper blank is not destined to be a copper fork, it is only the pattern for tracing for a silver fork.

The second example is a fork cut out of heavy sheet silver and inscribed with three lines in front and back.  A turquoise cab has been added.  The next steps will be to polish the silver and bend the tines of the fork in an upward manner.

The third example is similar to the second one above, but the tines have already been curved upward.  The silver has not yet been polished, an indication that finishing the curve of the tines comes before polishing.

The two unfinished spoons are in a similar state of manufacture.  They differ slightly in style.  On the back of the handle of one of the spoons is written, probably by Al Packard, “NFS New Smith’s Attempt!”

Al Packard (1929-2005) was a longtime Santa Fe Indian businessman and former owner of Packard’s Indian Trading Company, located on a corner in the downtown plaza area.  Packard moved to Santa Fe in 1937 with his family from Oklahoma.  His dad started the Indian art gallery bearing his name.  When he passed away, young Al Packard took charge of the family business and ran the gallery for the next thirty plus years.  He sold the gallery in 1979.  

These five silversmith blanks are historic in what they represent and from the famous estate from which they came.  Al Packard thought sufficiently of them to retain them in his possession after selling his gallery.

Condition: incredibly good condition

Provenance: from the estate of Santa Fe Indian art dealer Al Packard

Recommended Reading:

The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths by John Adair

Navajo Spoons: Indian Artistry and the Souvenir Trade by Cindra Kline

Relative Links: Navajo Nation, Silverware - Flatware