A Guide to Obsession: Hammered Aluminum
Last night, I had a dream where I overheard a girl telling her brother about something she'd just bought. It was a metal pitcher or urn, and I complimented her, saying it was a nice piece of aluminum. She was surprised I knew that, but I told her I've been collecting it for years and can spot it from a distance. The name on it was a manufacturer I'd never heard of. The tag was still on it; she'd gotten it for a ridiculously low price.
Oddly, I didn't feel any sense of envy, or wish that I'd seen it before she did, even though it was unique. It was more like, "Oh good, that's a terrific piece to start a collection with, I've got to make sure she knows it's worth more than that. If she wants to learn more, I'll have someone I can share my passion with."
We were in some kind of antiques arcade, and I saw a fantastic Deco lamp I just *had* to have: it was black and gold, with a lovely stylized horse. It didn't have a shade; the light was in the base and the background was a wavy gold scroll and the black horse was in the foreground. The whole thing was at least two and a half feet tall and it was gorgeous. (If I've ever seen anything like that, it was in a book, not in real life. And couldn't afford it if I did, but here, it was $11. $11. For a lamp like that? I'd get the money.)
I know what prompted last night's dream---I saw this just before I went to bed last night:
http://community.livejournal.com/art_deco_style/228801.html#cutid1 (Big pix, dial-up beware!)
The aluminum collecting is true, though. I've been collecting for more than a decade. I have no trouble telling it from tin or silverplate at a glance across a crowded room**, and more than once I've astonished shopping companions by unearthing items from heaps of other clutter as if drawn to it. A few issues ago, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion had a feature where the homeowner had arranged several aluminum trays in a display, and I found myself identifying the various artisans: "That's a Russell Wright, that's Canterbury Arts, and that's Buenilum...."
In the beginning of my pursuits, I was rather indiscriminate---if it was aluminum, it was going home with me!---but after a few years, I began to realize that cheap trays are a dime a dozen, but silent butlers are more scarce. (It looks like an old-fashioned warming pan, and it was a discrete vessel for the hostess to wisk crumbs from the table or butts from the ashtray.) Not that I specialize in just one thing, but I've reached the point where I only add to my collection if it's something in really good condition that I haven't seen before, or if it matches a pattern I have other pieces of...or if it's an amazingly low price.
Aluminum used to be known as "poor man's silver" and was very popular from the 20s through the 50s and 60s. While science has raised questions about the safety of cooking in aluminum, it's lovely for serving or display pieces. The avid aluminerian can find everything from trays and pitchers to baskets and candelabrum. The range of quality is equally broad---DIY tray kits were available, so a broad-minded collector may have inexpert primitives rubbing shoulders with artisan-wrought sculptured designs.
Starting a collection: One of the nice things about hammered aluminum is, it hasn't been publicized as a collectible the way things like Rookwood pottery or Fiestaware has. Yes, you may find some pricey articles in your local antiques store, but it's also very possible to find great pieces at garage sales and thrift stores. (Except for a handful of things, most of my collection was less than $10.) Older relatives may be a source---you'd be surprised how many households have a fruit bowl tucked away unused, or a cake plate, or a serving dish that was retired with the invention of Corningware. There were several varieties of casseroles with glass bowls nesting inside the aluminum shell. Something rare and probably pricey that you might run across is a ceramic place inset into a decorative aluminum rim--the plates usually broke, which is why these are so hard to find. I've only seen a few in all the time I've been collecting, and the prices were always heart-stopping.
Some of the most commonly available articles (and therefore apt to be inexpensive) are trays, which can be very useful as serving platters, or grouped attractively on a wall. (But whatever you do, DON'T use them as cutting surfaces! Aluminum is a fairly soft metal, and will scratch.) Another affordable starter item is coasters. The most common pattern I've found is ducks over a marsh with cattails, but that may be local bias. I've also seen other birds, horses and monograms.
After you've gotten an idea of what's available, and what you like, you may lean toward a certain manufacturer or even a particular pattern. Or you might concentrate exclusively on trays or baskets, barware or candy dishes. What's great is, the fad lasted from geometic Deco designs to "cozy" 30s florals to streamlined pieces from the post-War era, so something is bound to harmonize with your decor.
Depending on your budget, eBay offers aluminum in every price range, but bear in mind that detecting scratches or dents on a shiny, silvery surface in a blurred photo isn't easy, and that the cost of shipping is often twice the cost of the item---or more. Shipping can KILL bargains. Personally, as much as I delight in sniping, I like the thrill of the hunt in the field better.
I don't set myself up as a definitive expect, but I'll happily discuss the subject with other interested parties.
** This can be a problem, if well-meaning friends innocently try to add to your collection...you may end up with some atrocious hunk of tin that doesn't go with your treasures at all, or you could be the recipient of silverplate that you have to keep nice. (Aluminum is a lot more low maintanence. I recommend MAAS metal polish, which IMO is a boon to fans of "shiny!" everywhere.)
Oddly, I didn't feel any sense of envy, or wish that I'd seen it before she did, even though it was unique. It was more like, "Oh good, that's a terrific piece to start a collection with, I've got to make sure she knows it's worth more than that. If she wants to learn more, I'll have someone I can share my passion with."
We were in some kind of antiques arcade, and I saw a fantastic Deco lamp I just *had* to have: it was black and gold, with a lovely stylized horse. It didn't have a shade; the light was in the base and the background was a wavy gold scroll and the black horse was in the foreground. The whole thing was at least two and a half feet tall and it was gorgeous. (If I've ever seen anything like that, it was in a book, not in real life. And couldn't afford it if I did, but here, it was $11. $11. For a lamp like that? I'd get the money.)
I know what prompted last night's dream---I saw this just before I went to bed last night:
http://community.livejournal.com/art_deco_style/228801.html#cutid1 (Big pix, dial-up beware!)
The aluminum collecting is true, though. I've been collecting for more than a decade. I have no trouble telling it from tin or silverplate at a glance across a crowded room**, and more than once I've astonished shopping companions by unearthing items from heaps of other clutter as if drawn to it. A few issues ago, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion had a feature where the homeowner had arranged several aluminum trays in a display, and I found myself identifying the various artisans: "That's a Russell Wright, that's Canterbury Arts, and that's Buenilum...."
In the beginning of my pursuits, I was rather indiscriminate---if it was aluminum, it was going home with me!---but after a few years, I began to realize that cheap trays are a dime a dozen, but silent butlers are more scarce. (It looks like an old-fashioned warming pan, and it was a discrete vessel for the hostess to wisk crumbs from the table or butts from the ashtray.) Not that I specialize in just one thing, but I've reached the point where I only add to my collection if it's something in really good condition that I haven't seen before, or if it matches a pattern I have other pieces of...or if it's an amazingly low price.
Aluminum used to be known as "poor man's silver" and was very popular from the 20s through the 50s and 60s. While science has raised questions about the safety of cooking in aluminum, it's lovely for serving or display pieces. The avid aluminerian can find everything from trays and pitchers to baskets and candelabrum. The range of quality is equally broad---DIY tray kits were available, so a broad-minded collector may have inexpert primitives rubbing shoulders with artisan-wrought sculptured designs.
Starting a collection: One of the nice things about hammered aluminum is, it hasn't been publicized as a collectible the way things like Rookwood pottery or Fiestaware has. Yes, you may find some pricey articles in your local antiques store, but it's also very possible to find great pieces at garage sales and thrift stores. (Except for a handful of things, most of my collection was less than $10.) Older relatives may be a source---you'd be surprised how many households have a fruit bowl tucked away unused, or a cake plate, or a serving dish that was retired with the invention of Corningware. There were several varieties of casseroles with glass bowls nesting inside the aluminum shell. Something rare and probably pricey that you might run across is a ceramic place inset into a decorative aluminum rim--the plates usually broke, which is why these are so hard to find. I've only seen a few in all the time I've been collecting, and the prices were always heart-stopping.
Some of the most commonly available articles (and therefore apt to be inexpensive) are trays, which can be very useful as serving platters, or grouped attractively on a wall. (But whatever you do, DON'T use them as cutting surfaces! Aluminum is a fairly soft metal, and will scratch.) Another affordable starter item is coasters. The most common pattern I've found is ducks over a marsh with cattails, but that may be local bias. I've also seen other birds, horses and monograms.
After you've gotten an idea of what's available, and what you like, you may lean toward a certain manufacturer or even a particular pattern. Or you might concentrate exclusively on trays or baskets, barware or candy dishes. What's great is, the fad lasted from geometic Deco designs to "cozy" 30s florals to streamlined pieces from the post-War era, so something is bound to harmonize with your decor.
Depending on your budget, eBay offers aluminum in every price range, but bear in mind that detecting scratches or dents on a shiny, silvery surface in a blurred photo isn't easy, and that the cost of shipping is often twice the cost of the item---or more. Shipping can KILL bargains. Personally, as much as I delight in sniping, I like the thrill of the hunt in the field better.
I don't set myself up as a definitive expect, but I'll happily discuss the subject with other interested parties.
** This can be a problem, if well-meaning friends innocently try to add to your collection...you may end up with some atrocious hunk of tin that doesn't go with your treasures at all, or you could be the recipient of silverplate that you have to keep nice. (Aluminum is a lot more low maintanence. I recommend MAAS metal polish, which IMO is a boon to fans of "shiny!" everywhere.)