what is more popular silver or black face plates

Black

The Rolling Stones had it right from the start!

I see silver face plates

and want to paint them black

no champagne or gold for me

it’s got to be flat black

i see my line of gear 

and they’re all painted black

I returned the natural amp

and exchanged it for black 

changed my return address 

so it never can come back

well you get the idea

I personally prefer black. I’ve noticed some companies (Parasound comes to mind) charge more for the same component in black. 

Leo Fender was a trend setter.  

Silver, black faced gear is hard to see in a darkened room.

I know it doesn't apply to all but silver has mid-fi vibes.

I'm a silver faced guy myself, I mostly see other systems using silver,  I'm surprised by the all black comments just posted! 

I find black keeps me in compliance with Death Star regulations.

On tube, gear clearly black as it provides more contrast to the tube glow. For the rest, typically there is no choice. I may prefer silver slightly as dust is less visible on it. 

I prefer black.  When shopping for used gear, I've unfortunately seen silver to be consistently a bit cheaper used.  So I assume there is more demand for black. Jerry

I prefer black, but if I'm getting a great deal on silver faced piece, I don't care...

I purchase a fair number of used components, so I have given up being that picky.

That being said, I find myself grouping them by colour on the rack.

I have both. I don't really have a preference. I think some components look better in black and some silver.  My dac, ddc, clock, and phono stage are silver. Everything else is black.