UNIQUE VINTAGE ADVERTISING CORKSCREW “LEMP BREWERY” ST. LOUIS CIRCA 1887
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:16461513 |
UNIQUE VINTAGE ADVERTISING CORKSCREW “LEMP BREWERY” ST. LOUIS CIRCA 1887. Condition is Used. Shipped with insured USPS First Class Package.
Offering for sale a unique corkscrew advertising the beer brewing Lemp Brewery in St. Louis, MO. The device is made of brass in the shape of a bullet, with the lower half having the message “DRINK” and within the company logo “Lemp – St. Louis.” The upper half – the “silver bullet”- unscrews from the bottom exposing a corksc...rew, which pulls out from the lower half and then is turned at a 90-degree angle into a notch in the casing. The user would then screw the “bullet” back onto the base and this would create a “handle” for the corkscrew. This advertising give-away was obviously used during the days when beer bottles had cork stoppers, long before other types of caps were invented. The bottom of the “cartridge” has the device manufacturer’s name “Williamson Co.- Newark, NJ” and the legend “Patented June 1 ‘97” This is another example of the inventiveness of companies around the turn of the century to advertise their product in a personal way, giving the customer a useful tool as a remembrance and therefore promoting good will. COMPANY HISTORY The Lemp Brewery was established in 1840. The owner, Johann Lemp, came to the US in 1836 as a German immigrant and started a grocery store. However, the store became more popular for its lager beer than selling foodstuffs. In 1840 the store was closed and Lemp opened a brewery and saloon, known as the Western Brewery. Later in 1864 Lemp and his son moved the brewery to a large complex in south St. Louis. The brewery was built on a complex of natural caves which were once used for beer making by early German brewers. The caves were naturally cool which made them attractive to brewers in the days before refrigeration. Several breweries were built on these natural caves, which were altered to suit their purposes by adding brick floors and support arches. The Lemp Brewery consisted to 27 buildings on 14 acres, which are still standing today. The elder Lemp died in 1862, and his son took over the company. When the buildings were constructed, the Lemp Mansion built on the property included a tunnel through the natural cave system leading to the brewery. The family would use this tunnel to go to work. The Mansion itself has quite a story – 3 members of the Lemp family committed suicide there, and it is known to be haunted! (See "Lemp Mansion" in Wikipedia.) The company had a long and successful run until Prohibition in 1919, when the company was unable to continue beer production, and it’s “near beer” known as Cerva was not profitable. In 1920 the Lemp brands were sold to other beer brewing companies. In 1922 the complex was sold to the International Shoe Company for their manufacturing operations, which continued until 1980. The beer brand Falstaff was sold to Griesedieck Beverage Co, which changed its name to the famous beer and did survive Prohibition. By the 1960s Falstaff was the third-largest brewer in America with many factories in several states, selling under many brand names. However, Falstaff the brand went out of production in 2005 and rights to the name are now owned by Pabst. I am selling other advertising memorabilia from my collection. Check eBay for additional listings. All pieces are top quality. Photos accurately show product condition. Payment via PayPal only. Shipping to continental US only via USPS First Class Package & insured.
Offering for sale a unique corkscrew advertising the beer brewing Lemp Brewery in St. Louis, MO. The device is made of brass in the shape of a bullet, with the lower half having the message “DRINK” and within the company logo “Lemp – St. Louis.” The upper half – the “silver bullet”- unscrews from the bottom exposing a corksc...rew, which pulls out from the lower half and then is turned at a 90-degree angle into a notch in the casing. The user would then screw the “bullet” back onto the base and this would create a “handle” for the corkscrew. This advertising give-away was obviously used during the days when beer bottles had cork stoppers, long before other types of caps were invented. The bottom of the “cartridge” has the device manufacturer’s name “Williamson Co.- Newark, NJ” and the legend “Patented June 1 ‘97” This is another example of the inventiveness of companies around the turn of the century to advertise their product in a personal way, giving the customer a useful tool as a remembrance and therefore promoting good will. COMPANY HISTORY The Lemp Brewery was established in 1840. The owner, Johann Lemp, came to the US in 1836 as a German immigrant and started a grocery store. However, the store became more popular for its lager beer than selling foodstuffs. In 1840 the store was closed and Lemp opened a brewery and saloon, known as the Western Brewery. Later in 1864 Lemp and his son moved the brewery to a large complex in south St. Louis. The brewery was built on a complex of natural caves which were once used for beer making by early German brewers. The caves were naturally cool which made them attractive to brewers in the days before refrigeration. Several breweries were built on these natural caves, which were altered to suit their purposes by adding brick floors and support arches. The Lemp Brewery consisted to 27 buildings on 14 acres, which are still standing today. The elder Lemp died in 1862, and his son took over the company. When the buildings were constructed, the Lemp Mansion built on the property included a tunnel through the natural cave system leading to the brewery. The family would use this tunnel to go to work. The Mansion itself has quite a story – 3 members of the Lemp family committed suicide there, and it is known to be haunted! (See "Lemp Mansion" in Wikipedia.) The company had a long and successful run until Prohibition in 1919, when the company was unable to continue beer production, and it’s “near beer” known as Cerva was not profitable. In 1920 the Lemp brands were sold to other beer brewing companies. In 1922 the complex was sold to the International Shoe Company for their manufacturing operations, which continued until 1980. The beer brand Falstaff was sold to Griesedieck Beverage Co, which changed its name to the famous beer and did survive Prohibition. By the 1960s Falstaff was the third-largest brewer in America with many factories in several states, selling under many brand names. However, Falstaff the brand went out of production in 2005 and rights to the name are now owned by Pabst. I am selling other advertising memorabilia from my collection. Check eBay for additional listings. All pieces are top quality. Photos accurately show product condition. Payment via PayPal only. Shipping to continental US only via USPS First Class Package & insured.
