In the world of breweriana and antique advertising collecting, some of the best finds don’t come from auctions or flea markets—they come from pure chance. That’s exactly the case with our latest addition to the Breweriana Aficionado collection: a rare Lion Brewery Pilsener Beer sign that was nearly lost forever.
The story begins in New York, where a local resident named Tim was on his morning commute to his job at the Bronx Zoo. Passing by a fraternal Lions Club, something unusual caught his eye—a gold colored sign sticking out of a trashcan. Curious, he pulled over and pulled out what turned out to be a framed beer sign. Even at first glance, it looked old. Without hesitation, he placed it in the back of his car and continued on to work.
Once parked, he took a closer look and debated giving it to a co-worker who worked with the zoo’s big cats. Instead, he decided to hang it in his office. That’s when he noticed something important: a small brass maker’s tag attached to the bottom of the frame. Stamped into the tag was the name Rodwell Sign Company, Buffalo, NY. Knowing he might have stumbled onto something special, he called his father—an out-of-state antique appraiser—for advice. His father encouraged him to dig deeper as the sign could be very special.
Later that evening, his online search for the maker’s mark led him straight to our website, www.BrewAf.com. He send us an email and that’s where our paths crossed. After a great conversation, about the history of the sign as well as the brewery we were able to concede this sign was in-fact a pre-prohibition era (circa 1903 to 1920) sign from the Lion Brewery of New York City. We then encouraged Tim to revisit the Lions Club to ask about the sign’s history and to see if there were anything else they might have had.
A few days later, Tim returned to the Lions Club and was able to speak with an older gentleman who was a member of the club. The older gentleman explained that the sign had hung in one of their meeting rooms for as long as he could remember—likely brought into the club by a fellow member sometime in the 1950’s when the club was established, perhaps because of the club’s symbolic connection to the “lion” displayed on the sign. He told Tim the sign had served its purpose and no one wanted it anymore, so they decided to discard it. Unfortunately, no other Lion Brewery pieces remained, but the story alone added incredible provenance to the find.
After another discussion, we struck a deal for the sign. To sweeten the experience, and as fellow craft beer aficionados (and self-professed “hopheads”), we agreed to put together a beer case swap of our favorite local IPAs to exchange when we met in person.
Months later, fate brought another twist. While at a street fair, Tim ran into the same Lions Club member who had shared the story. With a smile, the older gentleman introduced him to other members as “this is the guy who saved that old Lion Beer sign from the trash”. The moment was met with laughter and camaraderie.
Not long after, we finally met up at a local brewery in Allentown, PA. Over good conversation and great beers, we completed the deal for the sign, swapped cases, and, more importantly, forged a new friendship.
This rare Lion Brewery Pilsner Beer sign will soon undergo a careful restoration, and once complete, we’ll be sending a photo back to Tim who rescued it from the trash. Thanks to his sharp eye and quick thinking, an extraordinary piece of brewing history was saved—and now has a proud place in our collection.
Below are a few detailed photos of the sign:
