Toss that Billy Beer and other beer-bottle collector tips
As with most things, supply is the No. 1 factor in determining the value of a particular collectible. You may think that can of kitschy Billy Beer you've had since the Carter administration is your winning lottery ticket, but there were an estimated 2 billion of them made. It's worth about a nickel, assuming you can find someone who wants it.
As with most things, supply is the No. 1 factor in determining the value of a particular collectible. You may think that can of kitschy Billy Beer you've had since the Carter administration is your winning lottery ticket, but there were an estimated 2 billion of them made. It's worth about a nickel, assuming you can find someone who wants it.
The most valuable beer bottles - usually worth no more than $100 - are antiques dating to the 19th century, before bottles were mass-produced by machine. You can identify them by an uneven seam that runs from the bottom and stops at the bottle's bloblike top.
Although paper labels may be attractive, collectors are more interested in embossed bottles, especially if they ID the brewery and its location.
Ignore the prices you see on eBay. Last week, someone was selling a dirt-encrusted, pre-Prohibition bottle from Philadelphia's old Bergdoll Brewery for $1,000. Someone else was selling nearly the exact bottle for 99 cents.
Instead, to learn more about bottle collecting, connect with a breweriana club. The largest is the Brewery Collectibles Club of America, with local chapters throughout the region: bcca.com.
- Joe Sixpack