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Jeff is a collector of breweriana items, especially those from Frankenmuth Brewery. You can meet Jeff and other collectors from around the area at the 49th Annual Buckeye Chapter Beer Collectables Show on March 9th.

From WBAY News in Green Bay, WI.

ALGOMA, Wis. (WBAY) - Anything that is beer- or brewery-related, and considered collectible, is known as “breweriana.”

Over the last decade, a Kewaunee County man has amassed a very rare, and specific, breweriana collection.

This week in Small Towns, we travel to Algoma to see his hundreds of chalk statues.

Rick Basken was just a kid when he first became a breweriana collector.

“My mom went to rummage sales, and I would find like old Miller mirrors or something with a bear on it or a deer on it, for five or ten bucks, so I’d buy it, hang it in my room, and before you knew it my room was full of Miller mirrors and whatnot, so that’s kind of how it started,” recalls Rick.

Ten years ago, while on eBay, Rick came across this statue of a guy holding a Blatz beer can and a flag, a chalk statue made of molded plaster.

“I don’t remember why I bought it, but I just bought it, and it was like 40 bucks, it was cheap, and when I opened it up, I was surprised how big it was and how cool it looked, and I thought, is there things like this out there because I never saw that before,” says Rick.

Rick then found a book on back-bar chalk statues.

“And I was blown away by how many pieces are out there,” explains Rick.

Safe to say, he was hooked.

“And then it got kind of crazy, yeah,” says Rick with a smile.

Today, Rick’s basement is filled with more than 300 statue pieces on display. It’s one of the top chalk statue collections in the country.

“I know of like three collections that are superior to mine. Those collectors have been collecting a lot longer than I have been collecting,” says Rick.

The statues range in value from $50 to more than $10,000.

The average is around $500.

With 700 different statues known to be in existence, Rick is always on the hunt.

“Always looking. I probably spend 10-15 hours a week, just like at night, on the phone looking on eBay or Facebook with all the different breweriana groups, and always looking for what comes out there,” says Rick.

Never meant to be a collectible, the chalk statues were replaced by plastic ones in the mid to late 1950′s and often thrown away. That’s why they’re so rare.

Along with collecting, Rick also writes a frequent column called “Chalk Talk” for a national breweriana magazine.

He’s also taught himself how to repair damaged statues.

“I made a mold of a good one and I can pour it, so I reproduce the piece, and now I just have to fasten it back on and repaint it and bring it back,” Rick demonstrates.

Rick isn’t quite sure his family and friends truly appreciate his collection.

“I’m sure most people in my family think I’m nuts. That’s probably the majority of people,” says Rick with a chuckle.

But other collectors certainly do.

“When you know the age of something, and you know the value of something, the rarity of something, you get to appreciate what you’re looking at,” explains Rick.

With his passion still burning strong to acquire more statues from the past, Rick’s collection will continue to grow.

By just how much, and what he plans to do with it in the future, well, that is still to be determined.

“Well, it’s either you sell it or you die with it,” Rick says, smiling, “and I’m not quite sure, at this point I’m still focused on still building it and having fun collecting it. But I guess when it comes to the point where it’s no longer fun, then who knows.”

NABA adds two new local chapters—now has 55

Ken “Obie” Jones
of Lawrenceville, GA, has joined
NABA’s Membership Committee.

Ken is a longtime NABA member who has been active in the BCCA and ABA. He started collecting beer cans in Georgia as a teenager, and gradually narrowed his collecting to Southeastern breweries. He now concentrates on Georgia-based breweries, with a focus on Atlantic Co. brewery items, PreProhibition Georgia breweries, and Carling and Pabst items from their previous breweries in Georgia.

Ken is the long-time president of the Atlantic Chapter and has organized many breweriana trade shows in the Southeast, including the newly created Southern Crossroads Show in Macon, GA. He has written articles on various Southern breweries.

A recognized Georgia brewery historian, Ken has advised various Atlanta bars and restaurants on decorating with local breweriana and has been a consultant to movie production companies on period-specific breweriana. Ken is looking forward to retirement and spending more time on the hobby and growing NABA’s membership. 

The NABA Convention and The Cone Top Brewery Museum.

There is so much great stuff going on with your club! In fact, there was so much to show and tell you in this issue of the magazine that we had to extend it from the typical 80 pages to 96 pages!

The 2023 convention shattered previous attendance records by 25% and our club continues to grow—we have been adding new members at the rate of almost one per day. The convention was by all accounts a huge success—we hope you will enjoy reading about it in these pages and attending the next “NABA Family Reunion,” our 53rd annual convention, to be held in St. Louis, from July 29- August 3, 2024. At publication time, we sold nearly 1000 room nights and are approaching sellout at the hotel. We are far ahead of last year’s pace and it is likely to be another record breaker!

The amazing “Northern Lights”

You can read about many of the convention highlights in these pages, but you have to be there to truly experience and appreciate them. Perhaps the best example of this was the “Northern Lights” exhibit put on by NABA’s partner, the Cone Top Brewery Museum. A suburban hotel suite was magically transformed into a cozy Northwoods cabin thanks to the creativity and hard work of the Museum’s crew. It presented the perfect environment to display some of Cone Top’s classic, outdoorsy-themed breweriana from the 1940s–1960s that featured scenes of the popular pastimes of hunting, fishing, and camping.

NABA’s “Front Door”

You will continue to read more about the NABA/Cone Top partnership in these pages, as it continues to progress.

Ultimately, the Cone Top Museum will be an integral part of The Mill at Vicksburg, the huge, multi-purpose entertainment and hospitality complex under construction in Michigan, not far from Kalamazoo. Fittingly, The Mill also will house an Old Stove Brewery—similar to but different from the three Old Stove facilities that exist in Seattle—owned by The Mill’s developer, NABA member Chris Moore.

Chris envisions Cone Top as being “NABA’s Front Door,” which will enable our organization to have a physical, “brick and mortar” presence but without the corresponding costs that could impede a non-profit organization like NABA. Chris and his team envision a highly dynamic museum, with interactive and experiential displays that not only tell the story of the breweriana but bring it alive.

Importantly, there are plans in development for the Museum to feature displays that highlight the history of NABA and its founders as well as to provide opportunities for NABA members to display parts of their own collections on a rotating basis. A key goal for the Museum is to communicate and celebrate breweriana in an engaging way that will generate interest in both the hobby and NABA.

The “Northern Lights” exhibit is a taste of things to come from Cone Top, and another exciting exhibit is already in the works to develop in Vicksburg and bring to St. Louis. Just another reason to make sure you make it to the 2024 NABA convention

Highlights of the 52nd Annual National Association Breweriana Advertising (NABA) Convention in Schaumburg, Illinois (Chicago Area) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel from August 1st through August 5th, 2023. This Beer Show had many breweriana collectibles that you wouldn’t be able to find at a Flea Market or Garage Sale for your rec room, garage bar, man cave or tavern. Amazing Beer history that had Historic Brewery Antiques, Beer Signs, Beer Cans, Beer Bottles, other Breweriana Collectibles, and Old Advertising through Motion Beer Signs, Beer Lights, Neon Signs, Beer Trays, and more. Major Brands included Heileman’s Old Style, Budweiser, Bud Light, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Schlitz, Miller High Life, Leinenkugels, Blatz, Meister Brau, Strohs and so much more. Don't forget to Subscribe, Like, and Share. This shows me that you want to see more videos, so I will continue to put in the effort. Links Follow "The Beer Collector" Facebook Page for additional content. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Share the “The Beer Collector” YouTube Channel    / @thebeercollector  

The NABA Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Dr. Scott Brown, of Phoenix, MD, has been unanimously elected by the Board as our newest member of the NABA Board of Directors.

Scott is highly regarded within our collecting community as an outstanding person and hobbyist, whose interest focuses on breweriana from his native state of New Jersey. Scott is a 40-year NABA member and frequent contributor to NABA’s Breweriana Collector magazine.

Professionally, Scott is a physician and chairman of the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. He also is a noted jazz historian, and a published author on that subject.

Please join us in congratulating Scott on his addition to the NABA Board. We are honored and fortunate to have him join our outstanding team!