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.

Vintage Bud Man Collectible Memorabilia

Thousands of Bud man collectibles or memorabilia have made their way into the market and have become a symbol of classical following and rich history for the many Budweiser fans. Thousands of people the world over amass valuable collectibles from their favorite brand and therefore solidify their loyalty for the brands and what the memorabilia stands for. The Budweiser name is one such symbol and with the large American following, Bud Man Collectibles are a favorite in memorabilia. Some of the easily memorable Bud Man collectibles include a host of neon signs, bottles, wall clocks, stickers, watches, dolls, steins and glasses.


Some items were released for the purpose of advertising and others as collector items. A range of collectable items from shirts to hoodies and hats from the 80s; these are some of the items people hold on to as their vintage collections. A host of Bud Man vintage shirts from the 80s and 70s are still in possession by some die hard fans; for instance there’s one shirt from the 80 which has a Budweiser gag that sold out when it came out, but can be found in some vintage collection stores.

The vintage Bud man steins are still highly sought after collectibles.

A host of items are collected each year and thousands are sold online to people who attach certain memories to them. As is the case with Bud Man collectibles, if one particular product is rare and was produced in low amounts, then it would probably be more valuable and in the same way have more sentimental value to it. Any one of the many products produced by Bud Man from shirts to signs and clocks, each type of product has some special meaning to someone and would therefore be invaluable.


Even if you’re not one of the people who had fun with the original versions of these products, you can still manage to enjoy them and make some memories of your own. Hats for instance are popular among the younger people and can be obtained easily from stores. As mentioned, when buying any of these collectibles one of the factors that determine their value is whether it was a limited edition or an open production. A limited edition would immediately be granted more value in its scarcity.

Budman stickers were everywhere in the 70's & 80's & now make inexpensive memorabilia!

Open production for particular hats, shirts and the likes will usually go on until the demand for that particular product wears off. These ones also happen to be the least expensive of their production. Conversely, if the product was only released for a short period of time then it would be harder to get due to scarcity and it would be valued higher.

"Find a huge variety of vintage Bud Man collectibles for your collection at bargain prices!"

This is pretty much the process that goes into the production of a particular type of stein. If the brewer produces it for a short time and quickly cancels the brand, whether or not it was due to unpopularity or not, it is expected that the mug will be more expensive. When it first comes out, the mug is sold at the current market prices but after some time the prices may start to fluctuate due to a number of reasons. Supply and demand will invariably affect the costs of products and its pretty much the same case here with beer mugs and all the other items produced by Bud Man.


As a popular mascot for the Budweiser beer, Bud Man Doll has experienced years of dauntless defender of quality and adoration from fans over the forty years or so it has existed. When it came out in 1969 it created a huge following of loyal fans and over the years has become of the few collectables to be integrated into the world of comedy. It was the inspiration behind the Simpson’s character Duff Man. As a popular product, this doll can be found on any one of the major retailers or auction sites on the internet or in stores and it goes for a reasonable price.


Just like the mugs and dolls, people get attached to the collectibles and resort to accumulate them in their houses for memories. This is what leads people to search and purchase older models of steins, which a lot of people may not find particularly thrilling to have. People who sell these collectables may also benefit by tracking down private collectors, who usually pay higher for these items.

Beautiful Helbros Bud Man novelty watch w/original tags.

If a scarce collectable happens to be in good condition it will of course be more valuable. This then puts more emphasis on good packaging. Some of these items were released over 30 years ago and so would obviously be worn out somewhat, if the owner used them for a while. To make sure you don’t wear out your piece you could buy two products and then put one in a special place. This way you get to enjoy it and get top save its duplicate for memories. Steins are particularly more vulnerable to getting ruined because they could easily break and more so after you get drunk.


To avoid this you could accumulate on more than one collectible and so have a lot more items to relish from the good old days. If you bought and kept the collectable in its original packaging then you’d be in a better position to benefit from it because the original packaging inspires more authenticity and value. The Bad Man Mascot has been a very popular series which can come quite big, at 10”. This one goes for $100 but then the prices tend to fluctuate due to a number of reasons.


You can get yourself any one of the poplar ones now and in the next 15 years or so you could auction it for a lot more. For the person not really interested in the business aspect of it, the items could be just a way to make sure in the future you feel innately connected to the fun you’re having currently, and be able to steal some physical memories with you into the future.


Apart from the Dauntless Defender of Quality and all the steins available, you could choose from a number of shirts, hats, belt buckles and a lot of costumes and they are all available now. Get yourself something special from the large selection of beautiful Bud man collectables you can purchase and make merry. They’re all available online.