Guardian Service Heavy Cast Aluminum Roaster & Covered Pot Set with Lids & Trays

A matched grouping of Guardian Service waterless-cooking cookware in cast aluminum, produced by Century Metalcraft Corporation of Los Angeles, circa 1935–1955. The set pairs the line's signature pebble-hammered exteriors with domed pressed-glass lids embossed with the period-correct crossed-torch and shield motif. Bases carry the confirmed circular GUARDIAN SERVICE maker mark with the knight-on-horseback logo. The pieces are heavy — cast aluminum at a gauge that feels more akin to cast iron than modern cookware, which is part of the waterless-cooking pitch: thick walls, tight-fitting glass lids, heat retained and circulated without added liquid.

The lot comprises one large oval roasting pan and one smaller round covered pot, each with its original glass dome lid, plus two oval hammered-aluminum serving trays with the distinctive bifurcated tab handles that define the pattern. Guardian Service was sold door-to-door through the mid-century — which makes it a familiar household name in New Mexico and a nostalgic draw for regional buyers. Complete sets retaining both lids are the ones collectors chase, and both are present here.

CONDITION

Good overall with age-appropriate wear and clear signs of kitchen use — surface scratching, oxidation, and darkening to the aluminum throughout. The round lid has a chip, and the larger oval lid has rough spots along the edges. Aluminum bodies are sound and heavy, with the hammered pebble finish well intact.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Pot (without lid): 3.5" H × 10" W × 8" D
• Pot (with handles): 4" H × 15" W × 10" D
• Tray: 1.5" H × 15" W × 10" D
• Material: Cast aluminum bodies, pressed clear glass lids
• Maker mark: GUARDIAN SERVICE (Century Metalcraft Corp.), knight-on-horseback logo
• Glass lid mold marks: DC.21, CR-91, size numerals
• Total pieces: 5 (2 pots, 2 lids, 1 tray)
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included