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Kansas. It was Trowbridge who awakened the new focus on collecting
bock posters for Bill. Trowbridge loved the dark bock beer and the
bock art as well. He had a remarkable bock poster collection that Bill
greatly admired. Both men were infatuated with the strong colors, and
remarkable, imaginative images, unique to bock beer advertisements.
Over the course of 25 years, until Trowbridge’s passing, the two men
shared and traded many posters, and attended many club shows
together. Many of Trowbridge’s posters have gone on to be cherished
items in Bill’s collection.
The Lesters’ collection has a total of 250-260 posters, and dozens of
one-of-a kind items that makes them especially precious. The three
main American companies that created most of the poster designs
were, Donaldson, Philipp – Schultz, and Gamse Lithographing. Bill’s
oldest dates back to 1873. A fun, unusual poster that immediately
catches the eye on the Lesters’ wall, depicts the artistic styling of
Theodor Seuss Geisel, fondly known as Dr. Seuss. Seuss came from a
brew making family in Massachusetts and after the end of prohibition,
found work commissioning ads for
various companies such as Narragansett
Brewing Company in Rhode Island
during the 1940’s. This was before his big
break writing and illustrating his beloved
children’s books. Bill credits Tammy for
doing 90% of all the matting and framing
of the collection. “If it weren’t for Tammy,
I probably wouldn’t have so many posters
because I couldn’t afford to frame them.
Framing is expensive!”
The Lesters have made many friends by being involved in national
collector clubs. These are the BCCA: Brewery Collectibles of America
and the ABA: American Brewery Association. There are chapters of
these national clubs throughout the country. Currently, the Lesters are
members of affiliates in Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.
These organizations host shows where members can share favorite
parts of their collections with other clubs and invite the public. All
kinds of beer related collectibles are available for sale. The shows are
fun opportunities for the club community to get together to enjoy
their favorite hobby. There are many shows available throughout the
country and the year for people interested in seeing examples of the
past preserved and revered. The Lesters favorite show is held every
spring and fall in Omaha, Nebraska. A bonus for the public, is that
participating collectors often have the knowledge of historians when
it comes to their collections. Tammy says going to the shows is a great
way for beginning collectors to find items, make friends and learn.
She mentions a club chapter called “The Rusty Bunch Club” that go
to many shows and usually have a huge pile of old beer cans that
members have donated to give away. Bill suggests searching online at
websites such as www.bcca.com for information about joining a club
or upcoming events.
The hobby of collecting is a passion the Lesters have shared
throughout their 26 year marriage. They have moved a lot and have
always joined local clubs wherever they went. As we all know, moving
is a lot of work. It took months for the Lesters to pack all their precious
items, and months more for Bill to perfectly place each piece into its
new location. They feel for now that Yankton will be their forever
home, but Bill proudly proclaims, “We can go anywhere and have a
place to stay and a cold beer to drink!” n
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