Oh Damn....
LOL Well, you can't win 'em all. Honestly, I would say in the very least it's worth a few hundred....at least. It is a piece of history, I've heard that sometimes the Smithsonian, or other museums may be able to give you a quote on such a piece. Honestly, I probably wouldn't put too much effort into say "restoring" it, but I would put a lot of effort into preserving it. How to do that???
Maybe scour the web for Aluminum preservation tips, or even Corrosion control tips??!! Don't worry, I don't take any offense....I have some one of a kind comic book artwork, that the artist was getting rid of to pay some bills (He was a pretty big druggie), and he just happened to show up when I was at the comicbook shop, trying to hawk 'em...I was able to get two nice pieces from him, and even though I don't collect comics these days.....there's no way I'd ever get rid of them!!!! So, I know exactly how you feel, 'cause I have no idea where I would start to get a ballpark figure to their value. Thank for sharing, I appreciate it....and definately keep me in mind, 'cause I would drive out there to pick it up even!!! LOL All right, all right.....I'll stop buggin ya!!!