Antique Silver-1800s Navajo Horse Bridal-Museum Piece

Gallup, New Mexico is a town that has grown up around bartering. You hear stories all the time about how trade was used to acquire something, not cash. Local car dealers have traded for livestock and art, and here at the Trading Post we trade daily. Many suggest this is how Navajo silver started to gain momentum, not for wear but something the smith knew he could trade for goods. We are talking about a part of the Country where cash has always been scarce. Early Traders took wool as the main means of valuable trade and did not pay cash, but instead handed out coins that could be used during the year to buy everyday goods. Silver bridals are considered some of the earliest forms of Navajo silver art. This fancy horse gear would be of great interest to a local vaquero and something that could be traded easily. The bridal is pre-1900s and is an incredible piece of Navajo silver history. Like you would expect from a piece this early some of the silver work can be crude, but no doubt this was made by an excellent smith. The leather has torn in one place, but could be pieced back together by a leather craftsman. This is the oldest piece of Navajo silver we have in the Trading Post and is one treasure you don’t want to escape you.