Buying a Vintage Aluminum Christmas Tree

What You Need to Know to Buy a Vintage Christmas Tree


Buying a vintage aluminum tree does not mean having to give up your family's traditional tree! The newest trend is toward multiple trees for Christmas, often decorated with different themes or in different styles. Nothing showcases collectible hand-blown glass ornaments like a vintage aluminum tree. With the wide, even branch spacing and the reflective quality of the needles, your Radko, Polonnaise, Slavic Treasures, Old World Christmas and other special new and vintage ornaments will be displayed beautifully. One more tree really won't take up that much more room -- move one chair in your living room, and you have space (trust me, I've been there!).

--> Your vintage aluminum tree is NOT a replacement tree, but a SECOND showcase tree for your new or vintage ornaments!


What Type of Tree is Right For Me?


Six foot is the "standard" size for vintage aluminum trees, with probably 75-80% of trees made in that height. The tree everyone judges other trees against (probably because they invented them in 1959 and made the most) is the Evergleam pom pom at either 91 branches (1959-1960) or 94 branches (1961-1969). Other quality manufacturers included Peco (Christmas Pine), Arandell (Silver Forest), Carey-McFall (Taper Tree), and Star Band (Sparkler). At the height of the aluminum Christmas tree fad in the early 1960s, there were over 30 manufacturers of silver trees in the United States.


Vintage aluminum trees ranged in height from under 2' to 8' and taller, and had branch counts from under 30 all the way up to 200+. The fewer the branches, the more open the tree (obviously!), but a tree with fewer branches could be made to look fuller if the manufacturer added pom poms to the ends of the branches.


In addition to height and branch count, other things to look at when you are deciding on a tree are its shape and form. The two primary styles were taper and fountain. A fountain tree is a tree with branches all of a single length. The shape of the tree is formed from the changing angles of the holes drilled in the poles. Fountain trees tend to look fuller than taper trees because the angled branches hide the trunk better, but they are harder to hang ornaments on because of the steep angle of the uppermost branches. Taper trees dont look as full, but the more natural branch angles make them better for displaying prized ornaments.


Pom Pom, or Not to Pom Pom?


Pom pom: 1) A recurved, round tuft of needles often added separately at the end of a branch. Sometimes the pom is so round and flat it looks like a plate. 2) A tree with pom pom branches. Most artifical looking tree, good for decorating with a single-color ornament for a retro look.


Semi-pom or flair: The needles on the end of the branch curve back in a spray, but arent as full or as round as a full-pom. More natural looking, can be used to display almost any type of ornament.


Straight: No pom-pom or flair, the needles end at the end of the stem without an additional pom. Most natural looking tree, best tree for displaying prized ornaments.


Restoration of Aluminum Christmas Trees


Condition is important, because you don't want to be disappointed in your first (and maybe only) aluminum tree. 99% of trees you see will have sustained some type of damage as they aged over the last 40+ years. Most damage is repairable, some is not. Poles can be repainted, branch wires gently straightened, needle fringe can be retaped, stands can be replaced. Only you can decide how much work and time you are willing to put into a tree to make it presentable. No tree is perfect, but the "character" that each acquires over its life can actually add to your enjoyment of it.


A vintage aluminum Christmas tree bought on okay may require (or have had) some restoration work done on it. At the very least, you will probably be the third owner of this treasure. The branches may need to be straightened, some may need to be replaced, loose fringe may need to be retaped, the poles might have darkened and need to be sanded and resilvered if necessary. But a well done restoration does not diminish the value of a vintage aluminum Christmas tree. Done properly, it can stabilize a trees condition so it will last another 40 years.


Good luck, and happy tree hunting!