Green A&W Mug?

Below is a green small (2 inch) plastic A&W Root Beer mug.  I have no idea what it was used for.  I have searched google every way I can think of and cannot find one like it of any color. It is way too small to have been used for Root Beer.  I am thinking perhaps lip gloss or Jelly Belly candy.  If you have seen one of these before, or know what it was used for, please send me a note.  tom@floodeen.com  I only paid $3.00 for it at the Antique shop in Golden.

Here is a steel Dad's Root Beer can.  I got it for $2.00 at the Brass Armadillo.  I thought it was a pretty good deal but found out later that they generally only go for $3.00 so I paid about the right price.

This was a new one for me. I had no idea there was such a thing as Ed McCaffrey's Root Beer.  I am sure it is only found in the Denver area. I also found this at the Brass Armadillo.  A nice addition to my can collection.

Root Beer Bottle Openers

Root Beer bottle openers are really hard to find. The only one I have ever seen in any of the shops I have been in is the below pictured Pop Shop opener.  Although it is technically not Root Beer, I do have a Pop Shop Root Beer bottle in my collection.

I have been looking a long time.  Of course I can find one occasionally on eBay, but I would prefer not to buy items that was. It is more fun to hunt for them and feel the thrill when you actually something you do not have.

If any of my friends happen across a Hires bottle opener, I would love to hear from you. Any other Root Beer brand would be great also.

Summer Slow Down for Root Beer Finds

Due to the fact that I sold a house, am trying to sell a second one, and having a new house built, I have packed away my Root Beer collection.  As a result, I have been a bit remiss in adding blog entries and have greatly slowed down the growth of my collection.

I have found a few items that I would like to mention.

First is a match book advertising Dr. Swett's Root Beer.  I found this in Kansas as a flea market along interstate 70. I only paid $2.00 for it.  It is a very unusual item and I would have paid a lot more.  Very cool. I love finding items that are a bit out of the ordinary.

Then I found a couple more gallon jugs at the Fort Collins Flea Markets.  Not real special, but two I did not previously have. The Hires jug is older. The A&W is fairly new. Finding them with the original lids is a bit more rare.

Once we get settled in our new home, and I get my collection displayed again, we will head out on a new adventure to see what new items we can find.

Missouri Does not drink Root Beer

I recently was able to take a trip to the Kansas City Missouri area.  While there are stopped at as many of the Antique shops I could find. I discovered that Root Beer is not very popular in this area of the country.  There are very few finds and very few brands to be seen.

Below are the few things I did pick up, although most of them were found in Kansas on my way there and back.

Two things I wanted to mention. First is the Gallon Jug from Mugs Up Root Beer.  This is a root beer stand that is still open for business.  They brew their own root beer and have a drive in in Independence.  I was excited about getting a mug as well as the gallon jug.

Here is a Dennis the Menace 3D pin. This is fairly rare and turns out to be worth around $200.00.  It was a great Flea Market find. 

Root Beer Dispensers

Root Beer Syrup Dispensers 

I currently have two of these.  They are very expensive and hard to find in good condition. They are not worth buying if they are in poor condition. They can be as low as $300.00 and as high as $3,000.00 or more. Generally they hold their value and go up in price over time. 

Root Beer finds of the Week!

Below is a group picture of all the Root Beer items I bought during a recent trip to Pueblo Colorado and Florence Colorado.

My best find was an old Hires bottle. It has a rounded bottom, is clear, and has "Hires" on the bottom of the bottle.

Another cool find was a Yeast Box that mentions root beer.

I also found a full six pack of Duffy's Root Beer

And the last item worth mentioning is the Pleasure Time Root Beer bottle found in Trinidad, Colorado.

Root Beer Crates

Finding old wooden root beer crates is getting harder. Below are the ones I have found. All three were found in flea markets in the Denver area. They typically run between $40 and $60 depending on condition.

The double deep Hires crate is from around 1946. The other two are newer. I would love to know what other ones exist.  Let me know if you see one.