Heintz Art Metal (Heintz)

Overview

Heintz Art Metal (commonly shortened to Heintz) was an American Arts & Crafts metalware maker founded and led by Otto L. Heintz in Buffalo, New York, in the early 1900s. (heintzcollector.com)

What they made

Heintz produced decorative metal objects — notably bronze bodies with sterling-silver overlays — including vases, bowls, desk sets, lamps, candlesticks, bookends, trophies and small jewelry items. Their signature process and patinas made these pieces characteristic of American Arts & Crafts metalwork. (artsandcraftscollector.com)

Manufacturing & patent

Production was based in the United States (Buffalo, NY). Otto Heintz patented a specialized method for applying sterling-silver overlays to bronze without solder (patent granted August 27, 1912), a technique that became a hallmark of Heintz pieces. (martinhouse.org)

Company status & ownership

The Heintz Art Metal Shop continued after Otto Heintz's death in 1918 but ultimately closed during the Great Depression (company operations ended around 1930). There is no single modern corporate owner or active trademarked consumer brand continuing Heintz production; the name and surviving objects exist today as collectible antiques sold by dealers and auction houses. (martinhouse.org)

Summary

Heintz is best treated as a historic American maker (brand origin: USA) of early-20th-century Arts & Crafts sterling-on-bronze decorative metalware. Manufacturing was primarily U.S.-based (Buffalo, NY). The original company is defunct and the Heintz name survives in the collectibles market rather than as an active commercial manufacturing brand. (heintzcollector.com)