Rummaging around yard, garage and estate sales sometimes yields unexpected benefits. One such blessing has been in the finding of an assortment of rather old "souvenir" pieces gathered by folks during long-forgotten vacations or business trips to Mexico, Cuba and other once-exotic destinations. Many of these pieces exhibit a quality in both materials and craftsmanship that today would put them in the realm of lower-eschelon offerings by TIFFANY and the like-but 'way back then were purposed merely to grab the losse change from your pocket.   

Two such items are our "Flamingo" and "Burro" pins we've just listed on eBaY. A wonderfully crafted pair; they're both like peeking thru a window onto the tourist trade in pre-WWII Mexico. Obviously mass-produced, but yet displaying a wonderful detail in both the casting and finishing. The silver itself is such a gorgeous mirror luster (hard to come by today in lower cost items), that one just knows it's more than just sterling silver! The use of a small piece of GREEN TURQUOISE for the eyes is the master stroke that sets these apart from hundreds of other souvenir pieces.  

     As noted, we've got these on eBaY along with several other vintage pieces from Mexico. If you recognise any one of them, and could add to our knowledge of their history, we'd be gratified to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us by eBaY messaging (mmoran0513) or regular email.