SEARS SOLD THE FIRST ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES FOR $0.50 AND $1.00 IN THE LATE 1800S The production of lead tinsel was halted in the early 1970s, according to History.com, when the U.S. Food and ...

Christmas trees with tinsel glistened as they reflected candlelight. Through the years, silver was swapped for other less-expensive metals like copper, tin, aluminum and lead, according to the BBC.