A well-brewed collection to be served at Miller & Miller
Andy Cottrell’s 40-year thirst for collecting leads to exceptional offering of Canadian beer trays
This Kuntz’s Brewery ‘Bologna Girl’ Beer Tray is offered as lot 613 in the upcoming Advertising, Toys & Historic Objects sale at Miller & Miller Auctions.
It was nearly 40 years ago when Andy Cottrell first spotted a Black Horse Ale beer tray hanging in the window of a Toronto antique shop. A fan of the beverage, Cottrell felt compelled to stop in for a closer look. That impromptu store visit sparked a decades-long pursuit resulting in over 100 Canadian beer trays. His collection will be sold at Miller & Miller’s December 12th auction of Advertising & Historic Objects.
“As with any collecting hobby, whether it be coins, stamps or beer trays - once you catch the bug, you just want to fill in all of the empty spots” says Cottrell.
For Cottrell, the goal was not only to bring his collection as close to completion as possible but also to build a collection that would be unmatched in condition and quality.
“Initially, the trays I acquired were in used condition. They’d seen heavy use in taverns. As time went on, the old phrase ‘condition, condition, condition’ sort of forced myself and other collectors to improve our collections”.
Cottrell soon found himself selling and trading his trays in an effort to ‘upgrade’ his inventory. As a result, his collection grew to include many rare, tough-to-find trays in remarkable condition and dating back to the late 1800s. Cottrell’s ‘Griselda’ tray from the British American Brewing Company in Windsor Ontario is one of only two examples known to exist. His is the finer of the two, with greater detail in the artwork and gilding on the rim. It is offered as lot 604 in the upcoming sale.
Cottrell’s example of the British American 'Griselda' Beer Tray is one of only two known to exist. It is offered as lot 604 in the upcoming sale.
Cottrell is a member of Canadian Collectors of Brewery Advertising, a club formed nearly 50 years ago by a small group of Canadian breweriana experts including Loren Newman, Larry Sherk and Wray Martin. Now comprised of more than 200 members, the club’s focus stays true to its name; the members share a passion for collecting Canadian breweriana, with very little interest in American items.
“There are a heck of a lot more American trays and a lot more American collectors,” says Larry Sherk, author of 150 Years of Canadian Beer Labels, “Canadians in general aren’t interested in the American trays”.
Wray Martin, who along with Sherk co-wrote the first and only price guide on Canadian beer trays adds, “The American market is often state-wise or town-wise because there were so many different breweries and so much to collect that it became more of a regional thing. In Canada, it is much more general. Collectors collect items from Newfoundland to British Columbia”.
Canadian breweriana collectors collect items from Newfoundland to British Columbia. Cottrell’s collection contains trays from coast-to-coast.
Any individual tasked with carrying three or more drinks with only two hands can appreciate the function of a beer tray. Beer companies capitalized on this by using them to advertise. Cottrell’s beer trays are either lithographed, porcelainized or engraved with clever, eloquent advertising . The porcelain trays have stood the test of time as they are much more durable than the tin lithographed ones. Collectors generally seek out the lithographed trays. There are, however, some porcelain trays that are highly sought-after for their scarcity.
“Some porcelain trays are rare,” says Larry Sherk, “like the ‘Lake of the Woods’ trays for example. There were only two made - both of which are porcelain and are extremely rare as they were from a small brewery”. Cottrell’s collection features one of the ‘Lake of the Woods’ porcelain trays. It is offered as lot 506 in the sale.
Some porcelain trays from small breweries, like this Lake of the Woods tray, are very rare. It is offered as lot 506 in the sale.
In 1940, a ‘Point Of Purchase’ law ended the production of advertising beer trays in Canada. It came as a result of World War II, when metal needed to be reserved for items such as armor, aircrafts, tanks and bullets. The law restricted establishments from using unnecessary materials, such as tin advertising trays, to persuade customers to spend money. It was the end of a short-lived era, and the beginning of an ‘untapped’ collector’s market.
By Tess M.
FEATURED LOTS
Click to view in online catalogue
Lot 150 & 151: Dominion Beagle Beer Tray
The Dominion Hotel was constructed in 1889 on the corner of Queen and Sumach Street in Toronto. The owner, Robert Davies, also founded the Dominion Brewery to the west of the building. The archway at the rear of the hotel was used as a distribution point for horse-drawn beer wagons carrying large wooden barrels of Dominion beer. The building still stands today, now home to a restaurant called ‘The Dominion Pub & Kitchen’.
Lot 409: Brading Deer Head Beer Trays
The Cottrell Collection contains three Brading trays. This particular example is in excellent condition and considered to be very rare.
Lot 605 & 606: Dawes Black Horse Incised Brass Trays
At first glance one might assume these beer trays are identical: both Black Horse, both incised brass. However, if you read the fine print, the bottle label on one tray reads, “80 St. Maurice St.”, while the bottle label on the other tray reads, “740 St. Maurice St.”. The “80 St. Maurice St.” tray dates to about 1927. It is the only example.
Auction Title: Advertising, Toys & Historic Objects
Auction Date: December 12, 2020.
Online Bidding: November 23-December 12, 2020.
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