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Anyone who has ever been to a flea market, col-lectibles show, or yard sale has probably seenthe ubiquitous aluminum coasters decorated

with flying ducks, otherwise known as decorative aluminumgift ware. Don't be fooled though, there is much moreto decorative aluminum gift ware than flying ducks - orpinecones for that matter.

Uniquely American, decorative aluminum gift ware hasits origins in Grove City, a small town in western Pennsyl-vania. Fully launched by Wendell August Forge in 1932,the aluminum gift ware line indirectly stemmed from arequest by the architect designing the headquarters forthe Alcoa (Aluminum Company of America) Company.He asked the Forge to make some aluminum souvenirtrays for company officials that replicated the decora-tive elements of the repousse aluminum elevatordoors of the company's new research laboratories,which had been made by the Forge. Departmentstore magnate Edgar Kaufmann saw the trays andcommissioned several of them for his personal usefeaturing motifs of his estate. He then suggestedthat Wendell August Forge start a gift ware line.

And so the decorative aluminum gift wareindustry was born.

The new line was soon making the roundsof trade shows.As it turned out, the decorative

aluminum was quite profitable for the WendellAugust Forge. Other companies soon followed inits footsteps, starting their own lines of aluminumgift ware as early as I 933.Among them are Kens-ington (a subsidiary of Alcoa), Everlast,Buenilum,Arthur Armour; Palmer-Smith, Continental, andCellini Craft.

Surprisingly, little scholarly research has been

published on aluminum gift ware, despite the factthat nearly every home in America has a pieceof aluminum gift ware tucked away in the din-ing room, basement, or attic.William Freeman,Ph.D.,and his wife Bonita J.Campbell, Ph.D.,both avid collectors

of American decorative aluminum gift ware, have spent yearsgathering data from primary sources about American decorative

aluminum gift ware. One result oftheir research was the publica-tion of the book, Wendell August Forge SeventyFiveYearsof Artistryin Metal, which was written by Campbell in 1999.Freeman andCampbell are planning to write a general collector's book on alu-minum gift ware based on the research data they have collected.

Decorative aluminum gift ware is often called hand hammeredor hand wrought, but according to Freeman the use of these

terms is not always correct. "In many cases,it was a marketinggimmick," he explains. Freeman goes on to say."Although many ofthe pieces were hammered or forged by hand, many were actu-ally machine made. For example, the Rodney Kent maker's markincludes the term 'Hand Wrought: even though the pieces wereactually machine made." He then adds that even in the contem-porary secondary market, many items that were machine madeare mistakenly described as "Hand Hammered."

By Heleigh Bostwick

8 Collectors News

Above: Palmer-Smith, serving tray #86 with jack-in-

the-Pulpit motif. circa 1938-/939.

Below:Everlas~vase withIrismoof,circo 1937-/938.

Above: Buenilum, cocktail shaker, circa 1935.

Below: Wendell August Forge,two brooches.

two bracelets, and a pair of earrings withOriental tree motif, circa 1940 and 1948.

The la-year period between

1932 and 1942 marked the heydayof high-quality decorative aluminum

gift ware.To create the unique lookof this original hand-hammered

aluminum gift ware, each piece was made by clamping a sheet ofaluminum metal over an engraved steel die and hammering themetal into decorative forms, which created the repousse motifdecorations and hand-hammered textures typical ofthe line.Theobject was then carbonized in the forge or painted with a chemi-cal solution to produce the characteristic darkened edges aroundthe raised decoration.

In the early years, much ofthe aluminum gift ware includingchairs, lamps,smoking stands,cigarette boxes, ashtrays, matchboxcovers, tray tables, trays, and punch bowls, was decorated with

masculine motifs such as hunting scenes,sailfish,big game (el-ephants), airplanes, and sailboats. Floral and nature motifs such as

dogwood, apple blossoms, pinecones, water lily.bittersweet, andgrapes were introduced towards the end of the I930s.

Over time the gift ware lines expanded to include creamersand sugars,vases,silent butlers, candy dishes,chargers, condimentdishes,napkin holders, waste paper baskets,wall sconces,book-

ends, ice buckets, and coasters. In addition, both Wendell August

Continued on page Ia ~APRIL2006

Forge and Everlast,which was based in New York City.produceda line of jewelry that included necklaces, bracelets, brooches, andearrings."Everlast eventually abandoned their jewelry line,decid-ingthat the profit margin was too small,"says Freeman. "-

As with any antique or collectible, the fair market value ~ >

for decorative aluminum gift ware is based on age, ~condition, rarity, and the presence of a maker's mark. ~Freeman speculates that fair market value fordecorative aluminum gift ware varies from aslittle as $1 (remember those flying duckcoasters mentioned earlier?), to $4,000for a Wendell August Forge torch erefloor lamp, circa 1938.

Fair market value also reflects

important differences in craftsmanshipbetween the various makers. Decora-

tive aluminum gift ware produced byWendell August Forge,Arthur Armour; andPalmer-Smith,in addition to early Everlast and earlyBuenilum,was sold to an upscale clientele and the workmanshipwas of better quality.High-end decorative aluminum giftware,at least during the golden years, was typicallyhammered anddecorated with intricate repousse design motifs. Of course, notall companies that produced high-end giftware used hammeringtechniques. "Kensington aluminum giftware," states Freeman, "wasentirely machine made."

At the lower end of the market was the Rodney Kent linefrom the Krischer Metal Products Company, which was intro-duced in 1948. Rodney Kent located in Brooklyn,N.Y.,produced

---7 American Decorative Aluminum - Continued from page 8 ArthurArmour.breadrollserver aluminum gift ware for the masseswithschoonermotif,arca /947. that was made not by hand, but by

/-', , machine.The aluminum was

,~~.. .-. thinnerand a singlemotif,., ~ the tulip,was used todecorate the giftware,

which made it less expensive toproduce and more affordable

for the general population.As America prepared for

World War II,the federal govem-ment began using much of the alumi-

num that was produced to build aircraftfor military use. Bythe time the United States

entered the war; aluminum had all but disappearedfrom the public domain. As a result the decorative alumi-

num gift ware industry came screeching to a halt.After the warwas over; many companies did not resume production.Thosethat did, such as Everlast,Buenilum,and Continental, continued

to make aluminum gift ware into the I950s, with most ceasingproduction by 1960.Wendell August Forge is the only companythat continues to produce decorative aluminum giftware today.although the production methods and gift ware styles havechanged significantly.Cz

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