Early Nambé Sandcast Aluminum Serving Tray with Pierced Scroll Handles, Model 218

An early Nambé sandcast serving tray with a softened rectangular well and two flat, openwork handles cut with scrolling tracery. The reflective surface carries the depth and warmth that distinguishes Nambé's proprietary alloy from ordinary aluminum or pewter — heavy in the hand, with a soft silvery sheen that takes a polish like silver but tarnishes differently. The underside is stamped BY NAMBÉ 218, placing this piece among the foundry's earlier production runs; the "BY NAMBÉ" stamp format was used in the company's first decades before later mark variations appeared.

Nambé Mills was founded in 1951 at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Nambé Pueblo, roughly twenty miles north of Santa Fe. The company's defining achievement was a proprietary eight-metal alloy — the exact composition remains a trade secret — that produces castings with unusual weight, thermal conductivity, and a luminous surface quality distinct from standard aluminum or pewter wares. Model 218 is one of the foundry's classic tray forms; the pierced-handle design draws on regional tinwork and ironwork traditions, translating colonial scroll motifs into a mid-century serving piece. The combination of New Mexican craft heritage and functional design built Nambé into one of the most recognized studio-foundry names in the American West.

CONDITION

Good with honest signs of use throughout. Surface shows scratches, scuffing, and patches of dulling and oxidation concentrated in the well; handles and rim remain crisp with no losses to the pierced scrollwork. Sold unpolished — we'll leave the polishing to you.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall (with handles): 1" H × 19" W × 11" D
• Weight: 8 lb
• Material: Nambé proprietary alloy (sandcast)
• Model: 218
• Maker's Mark: BY NAMBÉ 218 (stamped underside)
• Foundry: Nambé Mills, Nambé, New Mexico (est. 1951)
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included