30 years ago I bought a used Artley piccolo. When I took it to get serviced, they told me it was solid silver. Unfortunately, it was stolen when I was in college . It was replaced, but not with sterling. My sister gave the replacement away . I am thinking about playing again and want to search for another sterling piccolo. I have seen the list of serial numbers, but it doesn't indicate which piccolos are d-flat and or which are sterling. Does any such list exist?
I see Artley piccolos from time to time on ebay. Look there. Generally a solid silver instrument will have a notification on each silver part. The only "material" specific serial sequences I know of are Gemeinhardt, which indirectly identifies the material by the model and serial batch association, and the records are not complete nor perfect. Gemeinhardt serials are therefore not strictly time sequential, except within certain models.
As far as Artley goes, I don't think that a model always was made from the same material, so you have to look at the flute/piccolo for the notifications, or do the "ping" test.
If you have made up your mind that you want a sterling silver piccolo you generally have two options. The first: buy used and take your chances. Factor in anywhere from $200-800 in repair expenses to get it up to a decent playing level because in all likelihood it will need at least some repair work (even if you can't tell that it does, a repairman can diagnose if it isn't playing to its full potential). Your second option: have one made for you. The prices on these vary, but the company that comes to mind that will occasionally do custom piccolos like this is Haynes. Expect to shell out about $6k though.
Most piccolos on the market that are considered higher than 'student' level are generally made out of wood with the occasional exception where it is made of a synthetic material (Pearl for example) or a sawdust/resin blend (Powell Sonare piccolos for example).
. It was replaced, but not with sterling. My sister gave the replacement away 
. I am thinking about playing again and want to search for another sterling piccolo. I have seen the list of serial numbers, but it doesn't indicate which piccolos are d-flat and or which are sterling. Does any such list exist?