Ernie Lister — Silversmith

Ernie Lister — Navajo silversmith hallmark namecard

Name-card placeholder — hallmark imagery to follow

Overview

Ernie Lister (born 1953) is a Navajo silversmith active since the 1970s, working in the traditional manner: ingot silver, hand-wrought construction, stamp- and file-work, and set stones. He studied under John Burnside (d. 1988) at Pine Springs, and the entry records that he started his own shop, printed there as "Hotel Trading," in 1990. He is a multiple award winner.

A note on the name: our scan of the Hougart entry header renders the surname as "Uster," but the entry’s own text and both documented marks — "E Lister" in script and "E. LISTER" in etched block letters — confirm the surname Lister.

The shop name "Hotel Trading" and the place name "Pine Springs, Al." appear as printed in our scan; both may carry OCR distortion.

The Mark

"Ernie E. Uster (1953-; Navajo). Active since 1970s. Traditional; ingot; hand wrought; stamp- and file-work; set stones. A student of John Burnside (d.1988) at Pine Springs, Al., Lister started his shop Hotel Trading in 1990. Multiple award winner. Marks: E Lister (script); E. LISTER (etched block letters)"

— Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022), approx. p. ~19344.

The mark as documented in the Hougart corpus: E Lister (script); E. LISTER (etched block letters).

References

Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Entry approx. p. ~19344.

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