Old Beer Signs and Clocks

It stands to reason that old vintage beer signs and clocks would be amongst the most collectible items in the breweriana category and they certainly are! A quick search on eBay will show thousands of these collectibles listed everyday, many of which are quite beautiful and valuable.

A beautiful Iron City Beer/Clock sign w/night skyline-1970s

 One of the reasons these pieces are so popular is their price-points. Whether you are shopping on eBay, an estate sale, flea market or a yard sale, these old signs and clocks can be found from a few dollars to a few hundred. Whatever a persons reason for wanting one of these beer branded pieces of memorabilia, a reasonable price can usually be agreed upon.

 

Lighted Strohs Life Preserver bar sign

 If one desires an old Budweiser beer clock for their man cave for no other purpose than to give it a bar look, then you will likely have a huge choice of reasonably priced items. Popular brands like Bud, Miller, Blatz, Coors and such are easily found at very low prices if you aren't looking for rare collectibles.

This old Falstaff Sign has moving pendulum mugs.  It should have been a clock!

Many of the lighted signs and clock/sign combos you run across look a little rough in the light. They may be yellowed from smoke and age, cracked or even chipped. As long as it works, it will still look beautiful all lit up in a dark room. In fact, if it's not too worn,it may even look better, more natural than one in mint condition! Use it's worn out look as a bargaining tool with the seller and you will likely walk away with a true gem for your man-cave or home bar for a steal!

Vintage Blatz beer clock barrel man w/bobbing head!

Of course, if you are hardcore collector seeking a very rare beer sign or clock, you'll likely have to fork over a bit more cash. Still, you'll likely be able to find what you need with a little more effort.

Ballantine Beer Clocks

Has anybody noticed the prices on Ballantine beer clocks lately? Wow! Sure, bar clocks have always been a hot item amongst breweriana collectors, but it seems in the past 2 months or so this particular clock is commanding some fairly hefty cash.

I love the Ballantine clocks, and have more than a few myself in the beer room. I'm almost tempted to list a few and see what happens.

Vintage 1963 Pam Lighted Clock Ballantine Beer 15x15

 I have one square red one, just the pictured here, that I won't part with as it is in pristine condition and it just looks so good hanging over my bar in the dimly lit room.

some of the other ones however, I could probably part with if it means making a profit and thus allowing me to feed my collecting addiction even more!

P. Ballantine & Sons Blue Bar Clock

 It's the square ones, the 15 x 15 inch size, that are getting all the attention lately. Just goes to show you how this crazy hobby can trend from one extreme to the other. Less than a year ago I recall these very same Ballantine bar clocks, in similar condition, going for less than $50 almost daily. Now I'm seeing $75-$125!

Valuable Beer Cans

Often when someone is new to collecting beer cans, or anything for that matter, they want to know what is most valuable. Most collectors who are passionate about their beer can collection will tell you they are all valuable.

Collecting truly is a passion for most, and not a business venture. Different cans from varying time periods or locations have individual values to people. Some monetary, some emotional or sentimental.

This Busch beer tab top test can  sold for $430.00 on eBay!

With vintage beer cans, there are so many out there it's tough to place a title as "most valuable" for these. Even in strictly a money sense, cans go up and down in value according to supply and demand.

Supply and demand go up and down for who knows why! It's one of the crazy, unpredictable and fun givens when it comes to collecting.

Of course, there are some very valuable cone top and flat top beer cans out there that are rare to start with and in pristine condition too. Those I suppose could be placed in the top 10% most valuable beer cans.

This Krueger  Flat Top w/ Opening Instructions ran somebody a cool  $735

But truly the value of beer cans is totally dependent on the relationship  between the person selling and person buying. If you've got what he wants, and a trade is in order, how do you place a value on that?

I think the most valuable beer cans are those that make up a set for a collector. It doesn't have to be a series type of set, but rather what the collector considers a set. If this collector wants every type of can with every flaw from the beginning of the brewery, then even some of the not so rare cans will be valuable to him when discovered, even if the seller deems it to have little value.

This super clean Metz Malt Liquor Flat Top was valued at $430.00 according to the highest bidder. There were 21 bids.

I always try to upgrade my cans. I have a relatively small collection of about 500 cans, but my cans are all in order and in very good condition. I know what I have and when I find a can in better shape than the one I have, I buy it and sell the old one.

Often, believe it or not, I pay less for the new one than the one I end up selling! And from a collectors point of view, the new one will always be a better addition, and should bring in more money, but it doesn't always work that way with what most people would consider valuable beer cans.

Spuds Mackenzie Merchandise

It's hard for me to believe it's been over 20 years since this famous English bull terrier stopped peddling Bud Light with his cute TV ads.

Spuds Mackenzie was actually a female, and died in 1993. She was 70 years old...in dog age! 10 in people age.

There was a ton of merchandise put out in the 1980's with this logo on it. It is still highly sought after today, particularly some of the bar-ware.

Authentic Original Vintage Spuds MacKenzie Bud Light T-Shirt

My Shirt is Made in the USA label on Vintage Spuds Shirt from 1986

T-shirts, hats, beach balls, Igloo coolers, mirrors, umbrellas, duffel bags and countless other items could be found with his image. You couldn't walk down a busy street in the mid-late 80's without seeing someone sporting a Spuds shirt!

One item in particular that is very collectible today is the 3-D night light, or bar light. This little light has a pull chain and is lit by a small 10 watt bulb.

Vintage Spuds MacKenzie Bar Light 1987

 Amazingly, you can still find these Spuds Mackenzie lights through dealers or online auctions, although they are starting to get pricey for the nice ones. To be honest, even one that's got a little wear looks great when illuminated in the dark and you won't have to spend nearly as much for one!

T-shirts abound, but of course the true vintage ones are harder to find. There are many replicas and those will always be around as long as people still embrace this iconic dog. Many folks don't mind the replicas. I'm partial to the original Spuds beer shirts and am very careful in making sure I'm not purchasing a reproduction.

Giant Potosi Cone Top Beer Can

If you are ever traveling through Wisconsin, it might be worth your while to visit the worlds largest Cone top beer can! It's a giant replica of a 1950s Potosi Cone Top which stands over 40 feet high!The bottom of the "can" opens up and leads you into a bar, how cool!

You enter the bar through the doors of this classic cone top!

The town is appropriately named Potosi, as is the famous brewery. The building is now on the National Register of Historic Places and can be toured.

40 ft Potosi Cone Top Beer Can/Bar View from road.

It sounds like an interesting tour as the brewery is very old. There is a cave in which ice was harvested from the Mississippi river during the winter and stored in hay in order to keep the beer cool during summer. (an old Amish ice house trick!)

Vintage Potosi Cone Top Collector Can from 1950s

 There's a restaurant and they micro brew beer again. The place is doing well and doesn't appear to be in any danger of closing, although that wasn't the case before 1997 or Gary David and his cousins. They purchased the building and started the renaissance, saving the building and spurring economic growth to the community.

Collectors can still find Potosi cone tops at shows and online auctions for their displays. The "Good Old Potosi Beer" slogan still makes a great piece of beer memorabilia, especially the cone tops of the 1950s.

Old Schmidt's Beer Coolers

We all know that vintage beer coolers are quite popular collectibles, but lately there seems to be a demand for the Old Schmidt's beer coolers made of steel.

I checked out a few websites, including eBay, and found that these coolers are selling anywhere from $40-$120, depending on condition. Most of the ones I saw were actually in decent condition. Little rust or stains.

Old Schmidt beer coolers are hot collectibles!

I think they are a nice looking cooler and would look great in any "beer can room" or display area. I'm not sure why the sudden demand for this particular brand but keep your eyes open and you might just find yourself a collectible gem!

Yard sales, garage sales or estate sales are your likely hot spots. These coolers are easy to spot from the road sitting amongst the clutter in a yard. The bright red top (lid) and shiny steel sides is a dead giveaway, even from a distance!

My favorite place for beer memorabilia is eBay. I always check there first when I'm seeking a new item for my collection. I can get a general idea of value and availability, if nothing else. Usually, however, I end up placing some bids and come away a winner!

I really like the fact I can search for things on eBay. I can place my bid and move on. If I win, I'm thrilled. If the item goes too high, I just forget about and usually another listing will appear within a week and I try again!

With Spring fast approaching, I think I'll try my luck locating my Schmitds beer cooler at the yard/garage sales that will be cropping up everywhere very soon!

Vintage Bud Shirts Still Hot Sellers

Vintage collectibles are very popular today and Bud shirts from the 1970's and 1980's are no exception. Those were the years when T-Shirts were wildly popular, even amongst women, and a lot of thought went into the designs.

Vintage 80's  Budweiser Beer Full Print T-Shirt USA

 Budweiser shirts from this era are easy to find on eBay, but beware of the knock-offs! There are a lot of re-prints based off of the original shirts, and these are a lot cheaper than the originals.

Some people don't mind, and often these re-prints are preferred because of the price and sizing choices available.

However, if you are seeking a genuine vintage Budweiser T-shirt, button down collared, or any old Bud clothing, you'll need to be a little more diligent in your searches.

Vintage 1980's "Bud Bowl" Shirts are very popular even today!

 It's not difficult to sort the new from the vintage. The first search you may want to try is adding the word "vintage" to your words. This will eliminate a lot of merchandise that is titled as new.

You can also add a price range. So, for example, if you wanted a vintage Budweiser T shirt, you put that in your search and on the left column of the eBay page, you'll see a place were you can mark price. Try putting in something like $20 for your minimum and $50 for your maximum.

This will further eliminate the new re-printed products and give you a much narrower list of true vintage Bud shirts to choose from.