Hunting Unicorns

*A newly discovered Evergleam 6’ Peacock tree (Item No. 4726, ca. 1961)*

Aluminum Specialty’s Evergleam Tree production lasted from 1959 until about 1972, and over the course of those thirteen years, a multitude of different styles, sizes and shapes of artificial Christmas tree were created. Before he passed away, I was very lucky to have a lengthy phone conversation with Aluminum Specialty Evergleam engineer, Wes Martin. The convo was illuminating for me (aluminating?); he shared so many facts and anecdotes, not only about his time at Specialty, but tales that spanned his entire life. He shared that when he and Richard Thompson, also a lead engineer at Specialty, were working in the early ‘60’s, they were charged with devising new and exciting variations of the Evergleam tree for each and every season. Wes was the guy who came up with the peacock tree - a two dimensional Christmas tree “silhouette” meant to stand flat against a wall. It was a space-saving option for people like him who lived in small ranch homes with a lot of kids, and not a lot of space. Wes also shared with me that when he moved from Manitowoc to California later in his life, all of the Aluminum Specialty paperwork that he had kept for years was discarded - just like what happened at the factory when it was closed in 1983. We collectors in Manitowoc are very lucky to have the little ephemera that has survived; Some pages of a sales catalog that were scooped up by Francine Pfeffer-Guyette from eBay, a few others from the collection of the late A.S. Sales Rep. Jerry Waack, and a handful of annual reports donated to MAKi by Mike and Leigh Duescher (née Torrison). The documents we have tell of Evergleam trees - styles and sizes, some of which we have seen in person, and others we have not. The peacock, rare bird that it is, is conspicuously absent from these materials. So is the Bow-Tip, the Outdoor Tree, and the Starburst. Because of this, we have to rely on knowledge gleaned from the experiences of seasoned collectors. Thankfully, my friend Theron has done mountains of tireless work to compile The Evergleam Book, the most comprehensive catalog we have. We still, however, seem to discover new trees every year. Rare unicorns that rear their heads from a glittering forest. Just a few years ago, we thought that Peacock trees only came in 4’ and 7’ sizes (both silver and gold). We also thought the same for Bow-Tip trees, because those were the only trees that collectors had encountered. Then a woman named Faye brought her gold Peacock to a presentation at the Manitowoc Public Library, and we we were quite taken by surprise. I just about fainted when I saw the number “45” on the small box under her arm (7’ Peacocks have 51 branches, 4’ers have 29). Not only was this a 6’ Peacock, but it was gold. We were even more lucky, and got to set the tree up and take a few photographs (one is shared above). About a year later, a couple who are friends of mine and avid collectors of aluminum trees of all brands came across another unicorn: a Bow-Tip in the 6’ size. Now things in the catalog were starting to make sense. Of course these “special style” trees, i.e. the Peacock, Bow-Tip, Slim-Line, Frosty Pine, etc. all came in these three sizes (the slimline at 3.5’, 5.5’, and 6.5’ to be technically correct). Fast-forward a year, and I was scrolling through my Instagram feed one evening where I follow the #Evergleam and #aluminumchristmastree tags. A vintage reseller in Indiana was selling a big 7-foot Evergleam Bow-Tip tree. It isn’t common for people posting things like this to want to ship their items and accept payment online, but I thought I would message anyway. Fortunately, they agreed to sell the tree and ship it to me - I think telling them I was from Manitowoc helped a bit. It didn’t have a box, but the tree was complete, and it looked spectacular. The bows were original (a little squished from age and storage), but the branches looked shiny and new. Almost like it had only been assembled a few times. I sent them an offer and then a payment via PayPal. A week later the tree came in the mail, and I went to setting it up straight away. I counted the branches - 94. Damn, I thought the tree was complete (a 7’ should have 100 branches). The stand looked small, too. I started putting it together, and the branches were absolutely beautiful. Shiny, clean, and needles in good order. It felt like I was putting together a brand new tree off the showroom floor… but the branches were short, and then I got suspicious and a wave of excitement radiated through me. Then I came to the last holes in the trunk, and had just enough branches. I stood back and looked in amazement at what I had just acquired - a 6’ Bow-Tip! I felt like the luckiest guy in the world and set the tree up in my foyer that year (I usually set up three that can be viewed from Oak Street in Manitowoc where I live). Now, though, I set it up downtown for Evergleams on Eighth so that I can share my tree with the general public and anyone who rides on one of our trolley tours. Certainly I found a unicorn, and I am so grateful to have it in my collection… but I just have to wonder: what will we discover next Christmas???

A Christmas Tradition Sparkles