TREASURE HUNT

When I wrote about collecting vintage aluminum serving pieces and kitchen items a couple of weeks ago, I thought we’d covered it.

But each day brought more calls and letters from readers who wanted to share their collections.

Here’s the rest of the mail:

The great wall of aluminum

Bonnie McNamara of Coeur d’Alene has been collecting vintage aluminum trays and serving pieces for around eight years.

McNamara’s collection grew out of a desire to find a metal sculpture to decorate a blank wall.

“Prices were so high for anything unique,” McNamara wrote. “Then I found my first aluminum tray at an antique show for $2 and the search was on. What a perfect solution!”

Today, McNamara displays her large collection of vintage aluminum trays on a wall in her living room.

“I painted the wall a deep aubergine,” McNamara said. “The color makes the trays stand out and I love the way they reflect light into the room.”

A stirring collection

Karen Hudson wrote to share the story of her collection of vintage aluminum tumblers and stirrers. Hudson loves the colorful tumblers she remembers from her childhood.

“When we were kids those vintage aluminum tumblers were all the rage and we drank our Kool-Aid in them. We used to fight over what color tumbler we would use,” Hudson wrote. “The tumblers sure got beat up. We took them out in the yard to play with our dolls, tea parties, and even used them for our lemonade stands.”

The tumblers are just as much fun as Hudson remembered, especially when she found a set of matching aluminum stirrers. The stirrers, made with a long handle to fit into the tall tumblers, are as decorative as they are useful. The bowl of each long-handled spoon, is shaped like a leaf

Hudson collects vintage and antique kitchen items of all kinds, and just like with the tumblers, she loves the connection to the past she finds in so many of the utilitarian items.

Pretty and useful, too

Loretta Rehfeld has a beautiful collection of vintage hammered aluminum pieces. Her favorites are an ice bucket with a lid that pops off when the handle is lifted, and a decorative serving piece that includes a Pyrex baking dish.

Rehfeld likes to display her vintage aluminum with her collection of Blue Willow dishes.

“I like the way they look together,” Rehfeld said. “They are both pretty but they’re useful.”

Gifts that keep on giving

Marilyn Sell got her hammered aluminum pieces when she married in 1952 and they’re still going strong. Like Rehfeld, Sell’s favorites include a pair of covered casserole dishes. She also uses a little serving dish etched with ribbons and tulips, and a set of coasters stamped with an oak leaf and acorn design.

“I have used these many times and still enjoy them,” Sell wrote.

From one treasure hunter to another

I’ve enjoyed talking to people about the places in our homes and memory held by things as prosaic as casserole dishes and coasters. And lately I’ve enjoyed doing a little matchmaking, as well.

Fran Menzel called to say she doesn’t collect vintage aluminum but she did have a set of tall iced drink stirrers she’d picked up at an estate sale.

“They were just too nice to resist,” she said. “They were still in their original box.” Menzell mentioned that she’d like to see them go to someone who would appreciate them and I remembered Karen Hudson.

A couple of phone calls and an e-mail or two later, Menzel and Hudson had connected and Hudson had added the stirrers to her collection.