Mexican Copper Work

Q: I have what I believe to be a large Mexican copper serving dish; it’s about two feet across. It seems like the designs are handcrafted. Can you tell me anything about it?

A: Traditional copper work in Mexico has its origins in its pre-Hispanic period divided into three main periods: the pre-classic period, before 250 CE; the classic period 250-900 CE; and the post-classic period 900-1521 CE. Your ornate hammered copper serving plate/wall hanging depicting the Aztec culture dates from a much later period, the 1940s-1960s, when tourists brought home such souvenirs. Many tools were used to obtain your plate design of ancient Aztec symbols, such as chisels, pliers, tongs, scissors, shears, punches, mallets, and various anvils and hammers. These were used to shape and emboss the piece. The decorative work of embossing, also called “repoussé,” consisted of hammering the piece from the inside to push the shape outward. Considering the age of your piece and its condition, we would value your copper serving plate at $50 in today’s marketplace.