Pre-Prohibition Era Archives

These pre-prohibtion era relics are some of the earliest American advertising and breweriana dating prior to The Rise of Prohibition in 1920 and as far back as the 1800’s era. From signs to serving trays to lithographs and everything in between; we invite you to take a step back in time with us.

bartels pure beer sign brewing company Wilkes-barre Chas shonk company Chicago

Bartels Beer Tin Sign

Condition: Excellent Size: 28″ X 22″ Era: 1910 Brewery: Bartels Brewing Company Location: Edwardsville, PA Makers Mark: Chas. W. Shonk Company Material: Self-framed tin

$4,000.00 Add to cart

Becks Beer Tip Tray

Condition: Excellent Era: Pre-Prohibition Brewery: Magnus Beck Brewing Company Location: Buffalo, NY Makers Mark: Chas. Shonk Company

$700.00 Add to cart

Iroquois Brewery Tip Tray

Condition: Excellent Era: Pre-Prohibition Brewery: Iroquois Brewing Company Location: Buffalo, NY

$550.00 Add to cart

Goebel Beer Tip Tray

Condition: Excellent Era: Pre-Prohibition Brewery: Goebel Brewing Company Location: Detroit, MI Makers Mark: Meek Company

$625.00 Add to cart

Goebel Beer Tip Tray

Condition: Very Good Era: Pre-Prohibition Brewery: Goebel Brewing Company Location: Detroit, MI Makers Mark: Chas. Shonk Company

$450.00 Add to cart

Bartels Pure Beer Sign

Condition: Excellent Size: 19.75" X 27.5" Era: 1910 Brewery: Bartels Brewing Company Location: Edwardsville, PA Makers Mark: Kaufmann & Strauss Material: Embossed Metal

$1,250.00 Add to cart

Kaiers Bottled Beer Vienna Venetian Art Plate Meek Beach Company Coshockton

Kaiers Bottled Beer Plate

Condition: Excellent Era: 1900’s Brewery: Chas. Kaier Brewing Company Location: Mahanoy City, PA Material: Lithography on Metal

$1,000.00 Add to cart

cold spring brewery brewing company factory scene beer ale porter sign Lawrence Sentenne Green Company New York

Cold Spring Brewery Factory Scene

Condition: Very Good Size: 32" x 24" Era: 1896 to 1918 Brewery: Cold Spring Brewing Company Location: Lawrence, MA Makers Mark: Sentenne & Green Company Material: Lithograph over Metal Note: This sign has been custom framed with faux patina copper wood molding.

$5,700.00 Add to cart

Kaiers “Union Made” Foam Scraper

Here is a Kaiers Union Made Foam Scraper from the Kaier Brewing Company located in Mahanoy City, PA. This pre-prohibition Kaiers Foam Scraper is from the early 1900’s era and is in excellent condition for it’s age. This Kaier Foam Scraper is made of orange burl bakelite with a silver insert pressed into the center that reads “Kaier’s Union Made”. Note: From speaking with other local historians, it has been determined that foam scrapers like these were only used in the bar rooms of the Kaier’s Opera House located in Mahanoy City, PA.

$600.00 Add to cart

Straubmuller Match Safe

Condition: Excellent Era: 1882 - 1905 Brewery: A. Straubmuller Brewing Company Location: Philadelphia, PA

$1,200.00 Add to cart

Hippely & Son Match Safe

Condition: Excellent Era: 1900s Brewery: Hippely & Son Brewing Company Location: Allegheny, PA

$1,500.00 Add to cart

Fink Brewery Key Fob

Condition: Excellent Era: 1900’s Brewery: Fink Brewing Company Location: Harrisburg, PA

$165.00 Add to cart

Bergdoll Lager Beer Serving Tray

Condition: Excellent Era: 1900’s Brewery: L. Bergdoll Brewing Company Location: Philadelphia

$225.00 Add to cart

Foss-Schneider Brewery Brass Tray

Condition: Very Good Era: 1900s Brewery: Foss-Schneider Brewing Company Location: Cincinnati, OH Makers Mark: Neon Products Inc.

$650.00 Add to cart

Chester Brewery Lithograph

Condition: Very Good Era: Pre-Prohibition Brewery: Chester Brewing Company Location: Chester, PA

$1,750.00 Add to cart

Braems Bitters Sign

Condition: Excellent Era: 1900’s Company: Albert Braem & Son Location: Paterson, NJ

$275.00 Add to cart

Sprenger Beer Match Holder

Condition: Excellent Era: 1900s Brewery: Sprenger Brewing Company Location: Lancaster, PA Material: Cast Metal

$200.00 Add to cart

New England Pale Ale Sign

Condition: Excellent Era: 1900’s Brewery: Mt Pleasant Brewing Company Location: Mt Pleasant, PA Makers Mark: Sentenne & Green

$650.00 Add to cart

Presidential Rye Whiskey Clock

Here is a Presidential Rye Whiskey Clock from the E. De. Lue & Company Distillery located in Chicago, IL. This pre-prohibition era Rye Whiskey Clock is from between 1896 to 1918 and is in excellent condition considering how old it is. This clock is easily over 100 years old and is't amazing that it still operates and keeps accurate time too. It's approximately 12" by 10" by 5" and is made of cast iron with a winding mechanical clock at the top. The cast text on the clock body reads "Presidential Pure Rye Malt" across the top and "The Best Medicinal Whiskey In America" across the bottom with the "E. De. Lue & Co. Chicago Sole Prop's" across the base. A Cast Iron Clock like this would have originally been displayed on a back bar display or general store countertop to advertise Presidential Medicinal Whiskey to patrons.

$4,750.00 Add to cart

Elk Brewery Bench

Condition: Fair Era: Pre-Prohibition Brewery: Elk Brewing Company Location: Punxsutawney, PA Note: This item came from a descendant of a brewery employee who worked at the Elk Brewery. Our guess is that he or the brewery marked the bench for ownership. If's a unique piece with a great story, it has a "folk art" feel to it in someways too.

$450.00 Add to cart

Kaier’s Beer Matchstick Holder

Here is a Kaier Beer Match Holder from the Chas. D. Kaier Company Ltd. (also known as the Chas. D. Kaier Brewing Company) located in Mahanoy City, PA. This Kaier Beer Match Holder is pre-1920s era and is in very good condition considering how old it is. This match holder was made by the H.D. Beach Company located in Coshocton, OH. Promotional products like these would have been given to patrons and brewery employees to display at home on the wall near their fireplace and were an advertising piece for Kaier Beer, Ale, and Porter.

$225.00 Add to cart

old elm whisky brass sign John conlon company boston Townsend Hostetter Company

Old Elm Whiskey Brass Sign

Condition: Excellent Era: Pre-Prohibition Company: John Conlon & Company Location: Boston, MA Makers Mark: Townsend Hostetter & Company

$1,650.00 Add to cart

John Beveridge Company Brewery Newburgh Ales Sign New York

Beveridge Newburgh Ales Sign

Condition: Very Good Era: Pre-Prohibition | c. 1874 - 1884 Brewery: T. Beveridge & Company Location: Newburgh, NY | Depot - New York, NY Material: Lithography over metal Note: This sign has since been custom framed with a period-correct patina gold frame and archival glass. Updated pictures coming soon.

$3,350.00 Add to cart

Rettig Beer Wooden Keg

Condition: Very Good Era: 1900’s Brewery: Rettig Brewing Company Location: Pottsville, PA Special Notes: This is a quarter barrel sized keg. Pickup Only

$600.00 Add to cart

Columbia Brewing Glass Sign

Here is a Columbia Brewing Glass Sign from the Columbia Brewing Company located in Shenandoah, PA. This pre-prohibition era Columbia Brewing Glass Sign is from between 1894 and 1900 era and is unfortunately in very poor condition although still somewhat displayable. This Columbia Brewing Glass Sign was made by the Tuchfarber Company located in Cincinnati, OH. The sign is approximately 30″ wide, is a glass lithograph, and is made or reverse-painted glass mounted in a wooden frame. The graphics on this sign (although very hard to make out) is a patriotic scene of a woman holding an American flag and leaning on a stars and stripes shield, and there looks to be an American Blad Eagle crouched to the right of the shield. The lettering on this sign reads “Columbia Brewing Company” along the top and “Shenandoah, PA” across the bottom. There looks to be remnants of lettering on the left side of the sign, most likely a beer style, similar to the “Weiss Beer” lettering to the right. There is a maker mark on the bottom right corner that reads “Tuchfarber Company – Cinci, OH”

$125.00 Add to cart

Harper Whiskey Vitrolite Sign

Here is a Harper Whiskey Vitrolite Sign from the I. W. Harper Distilling Company located in Louisville, KY. This Harper Whiskey Vitrolite Sign is from the early 1900’s era and is in good condition for its age. This sign was made by the Vitrolite Sign Company that was a sister company to Meyercord Company located in Chicago, IL. It is approximately 20″ by 26″ and is made of painted milk glass. Note: The top left and right corners have cracks and repairs.

$850.00 Add to cart

Robert Smith Match Holder

Here is a Robert Smith Match Holder from the Robert Smith Ale Brewing Company located in Philadelphia, PA. This Robert Smith Match Holder is from between 1896 to 1901 and is in great condition considering how old it is. It is made of lithographed painted metal and was made by the Chas. W. Shonk Company who was located in Chicago, IL. The advertising on this matchbox holder depicts the Robert Smith Ale Brewery “Tiger Head Brand” graphics and promotes their products of Ale and Stouts. Match holders like this would have been displayed on the bar top or on tables inside of a tavern or saloon; a matchbox would have sat between the 2 prongs. Patrons could light their cigars and pipes and discard the used matches into the tray.

$1,650.00 Add to cart

Schwarzenbach Beer Tray

Here is a Schwarzenbach Beer Tray from the Schwarzenbach Brewing Company located in Hornell, NY. This pre-prohibition era Schwarzenbach Beer Tray is from between 1895 to 1920 and is in fair condition considering how old it is. This tray is approximately 13″ and was made by American Art Works located in Coshocton, OH. The graphics on this tray display a stock scene of a red stag or deer with lettering around the rim that reads “Schwarzenbach Brewing Company” and “Hornell, NY”. It appears that the lettering around the rim may have been painted over at some point. This was a common practice during prohibition as it was not only illegal to produce, sell, and consume alcohol but it was also illegal to have anything that advertised or promoted it; so people would paint over the advertising on a lot of these trays.

This would be a great tray candidate for restoration. Should you be interested, we are happy to refer you to one of our trusted restoration professionals.

$285.00 Add to cart

National Brew Beer Tray Brewing Company steelton

National Brew Tray

Here is a National Brew Tray from the National Brewing Company located in Steelton, PA. This pre-prohibition National Brew Tray is from the early 1900s era and is in fair condition considering how old it is. This tray is approximately 13″ wide by 13″ high and was made by the Meek Company located in Coshocton, OH. The graphics on this tray depict a victorian woman toasting a small tasting glass of beer; while the artwork on this tray is a stock scene produced by Meek Company.

$300.00 Add to cart

Glennon's Beer Brass Sign glennon brewing company pittston Pennsylvania John F Shupert

Brass Glennon’s Beer Sign

Here is a Glennon’s Beer Brass Sign from the Jos. H. Glennon’s Brewing Company located in Pittston, PA. This pre-prohibition Glennon’s Beer Sign is from the early 1900’s era and is in very good condition for it’s age. It is approximately 26″ wide by 14" high and is made of heavy brass with stamped lettering. Signs like these would have been displayed on the side of a tavern or saloon to advertise Glennon’s Beer to patrons. During the time, brass was the ideal metal of choice for outdoor advertising signs in that it would not weather or rust.

$1,500.00 Add to cart

Birkenstock Brewers Lunch Pail

Here is a Birkenstock Brewers Lunch Pail from the John Birkenstock, Sunrise & Sunset Brewing Company located in Allentown, PA. This pre-prohibition era Birkenstock Brewers Lunch Pail is from between 1890 and 1898 and is in excellent condition considering how old it is. It is about the size of a standard lunch kettle and is made of tin with an embossed lid. The Embossing on the lid reads “Compliments of John Birkenstock Brewer & Bottler Allentown, PA”. Lunch pails like this one were basically the working man’s lunch kettle from back in the day and would have also served as a beer growler to transport beer back home; click here to check out my blog article about the Evolution of the Beer Growler from what was once just a lunch pail for the working class.

$1,500.00 Add to cart

Briggs High Hop Ale Sign

Here is a Briggs High Hop Ale Sign from the T. Briggs & Company located in Elmira, NY. This pre-prohibition era Briggs High Hop Ale Sign is from between 1870 to 1920 era and is in excellent condition considering how old it is. It is approximately 14″ by 6″ and is made of embossed metal with a chain hanger. The advertising on the sign probably suggests that their product was some kind of an India Pale Ale with a higher ABV (alcohol by volume) than tradition ales produced at the time.

$2,500.00 Add to cart

Yuengling’s Beer Match Safe

Here is an early Yuenglings Beer Match Safe from the D. G. Yuengling Brewery located in Pottsville, PA. This pre-prohibition Yuenglings Beer Match Safe looks to be from the late 1800s to early 1900s era and is in excellent condition considering how old it is. On the front it displays the text “Yuenglings Beer Porter Ale Pottsville, PA”. While on the back there is an eagle insignia representing the brewery’s logo with a Latin phase “E Pluribus Unum” which translates to “Out of Many, One” which is also the motto of the United States suggested on July 4, 1776.

$1,500.00 Add to cart