Breweries Inspire a Barrel of Antiques

By Tammy Springer

If it's an ice-cold beer or the aura of an old-time bar that tickles your fancy, or you hold a long-established brewery close to your heart, you might be right on the brink of tasting the joys of antique and vintage breweriana.

The microbrewery craze has swept the nation's tastebuds and, along with it, attracted a whole slew of potential new breweriana enthusiasts. A true breweriana collector seeks and finds just about any antique and collectible possible related to brewing beer, but there are several popular subcategories as well.

Many collectors focus on one special brewery and collect everything they can with that one name on it, including items such as cans, bottles, clocks, ashtrays, matches, coasters, post cards, glasses, signs, steins, trays, mirrors, labels, advertising, books, playing cards, mugs and more. For an added challenge, others prefer to track down treasured items from breweries that have long since tapped their last keg. Hometown breweries are big favorites, and many focus on collecting breweriana items from a specific town or state. Along the way, lots of collectors become fascinated with brewery history and beer lore.

But maybe it's a special subcategory you admire, such as bottle openers, advertising coasters, full or empty beer bottles, bar sets, shot glasses, bar tools and the like. These collectors look for that one specific item from bars, taverns, pubs and breweries around the world. Remember all those beer labels you peeled off in college? Someone collects those, too!

You can find breweriana items at just about any antique show, shop or flea market, but some of the best finds await those who frequent special breweriana-only shows and events. To find out which one's coming to a town near you, there are a number of breweriana clubs and organizations you can contact, such as the American Breweriana Association, Beer Can Collectors of America, Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors and a host of other international clubs.

One of the many attractions to the growing field of antique and vintage breweriana is the wide price range of potential items. Some items such as common coasters and bottle openers can be had for less than $5, while other bigger ticket items like neon signs and rare trays cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars. No matter what your budget, you're sure to find several things that work quite well. There are many guides and price books out on the market, so be sure to pick one up before making any sizeable purchases.

Best of all, after you get a nice little collection going, you can use it to furnish your own vintage bar at home. Before long, you'll find it hard to tell whether you're relaxing at home or nestled deep inside the brewery of your dreams!

Tammy Springer is a Channel Manager for CollectingChannel.com. These are the opinions of the author, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.

Have comments or suggestions
about our collectibles Collecting area?
Click here to give us your opinion.