Heintz Art Metal Shop

The Heintz Art Metal Shop was an outgrowth of the Art Crafts Shop, founded around 1902 in Buffalo by Otto Heintz. After experimenting with applied silver on their enamel wares, the firm changed the name and began working exclusively with applied silver on the copper and bronze forms. This patented process was called “sintering” where the metals were heated and fused to one another. In 1919, the lead salesman, Fred Smith, left the firm and started the Smith Metal Arts Company using the Silvercrest brand name. Heintz continued making their line until 1929. The company was obviously quite successful having showrooms across the country; the amount of items in collections today is astounding.