Regional Meeting – Norwich 2nd December

Some of our East Anglian members have arranged a meeting in Norwich for the 2nd December. In addition to a social meeting with an opportunity for the exchange of labels. There will also be an auction of a limited number of labels from the Des Clarke collection.

This meeting is being advertised locally as an ‘Antiques Roadshow’ event, so who knows what the locals may bring along. The press release appears below, so now you know of another important date for the diary.

The Norfolk branch of the Labologist’s Society (The international society of label collectors and brewery research), are inviting members of the public to attend a Norfolk Breweriana Antiques Roadshow.

FREE appraisals will be undertaken at the Fat Cat and Canary pub, 101 Thorpe Road, Norwich NR1 1TR from 11am on Saturday 2^nd December 2017.

Anyone with a beer label pre 2000 can ask “What’s it worth?”

Labologists spokesperson Nick Drew explains, “Breweriana (labels, mats, embossed bottles, playing cards, trays, signs etc.) may be valuable if old, rare or sought after.

Items from local breweries such as Ballards, Steward & Patterson, E. & G. Morse and several others are well hunted after.

In October this year one individual rare Hancocks Brewery of Wiveliscombe label sold at auction at a cost to the buyer of in excess of £1,150! And, it is not only labels that reach such heights – also in October this year, a 1940’s Flat Top Mule Head Beer Can attracted 33 bids and sold in the USA for $3,250”.

The Labologists are asking the public to search out any old Brewery ephemera, that they may have inherited or have hidden away in the backs of drawers or in their attics and to bring them along on the day. Appointments are not necessary, and it is hoped that some valuable gems will be discovered. Labologist members will be on hand to explain the history of items, to research sale values and advise on how best to either protect the item and its value, or how to sell it for the maximum price. Advice will be offered in a discrete and confidential manner.

Nick Drew comments “A book of old beer labels was recently taken to an auction house in the South of England that placed a value of £300- £500 on it. The Auctioneers did not realise that the collection was put together pre 1900 and contained a number of almost certainly unique labels. Luckily for the book owner, at least two people at the auction were aware of the value and the price finally reached £18,000. WOW!”

Now in its 34^th year of fundraising for charity at the ‘Label of the Year’ event, the Labologists Society has raised £67,986 for UK charities including £2,000 this year for, Save the Children. The Labologist’s Society web site can be found on www.labology.org.uk where full details of the charities supported over the years may be found.

So it may well be worth your while to pop along to Norwich for an interesting afternoon & who knows if successful, this meeting format may well be rolled out more widely.