Original Listing Description

Four Hamm's Beer MatchbooksDescription: These four matchbooks are in excellent like new condition. All original match sticks intact. Please see pictures. Made by Lion Match Company, New York, N.Y. Will be sent safely packaged in a padded package. The pictures in this listing display the actual items you will receive. We ship securely worldwide in safely padded packages. Please contact us with any questions. Theodore Hamm's Brewing Company was an American brewing company established in 1865 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Becoming the fifth largest brewery in the United States, Hamm's expanded with additional breweries that were acquired in other cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and Baltimore. The Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was established in 1865 when German immigrant Theodore Hamm (1825-1903) inherited the Excelsior Brewery from his friend and business associate, A. F. Keller, who had perished in California seeking his fortune in the gold fields. Unable to finance the venture himself, Keller had entered into a partnership with Hamm to secure funding. Upon Keller's death, Hamm inherited the small brewery and flour mill in the east side wilderness of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Keller had constructed his brewery in 1860 over artesian wells in a section of the Phalen Creek valley in Saint Paul then known as Swede Hollow. Hamm, a butcher by trade and local saloon owner, first hired Jacob Schmidt as a brewmaster. Schmidt remained with the company until the early 1880s, becoming a close family friend of the Hamms. Schmidt left the company after an argument over Louise Hamm's disciplinary actions regarding Schmidt's daughter, Marie. By 1884, Schmidt was a partner at the North Star Brewery not far from Hamm's brewery. By 1899, he had established his own brewery on the site of the former Stalhmann Brewery site. In need of a new brewmaster, Hamm hired Christopher Figge, who started a tradition of three generations of Hamm's brewmasters, with his son William and grandson William II eventually serving in the position. By the 1880s, the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company was reportedly the second largest in Minnesota. During Prohibition, the company survived by producing soft drinks and other food products, enabling it to expand rapidly through acquisitions after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. From 1933 until 1965, Hamm's saw much success, becoming the fifth largest brewery in the nation by the 1950s; much of this can be attributed to William C. Figge Jr. taking over as president in 1951. Figge expanded the Hamm's brand into a national entity with breweries in Saint Paul, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Houston. The latter two were short-lived and closed soon after they opened. As the company celebrated its 100th anniversary, the family sold the brewery and left the brewing industry to focus on its real estate ventures. In 1965, the company was acquired by Heublein. In 1973, Hamm's was sold to a group of Hamm's distributors which in turn sold it to the Olympia Brewing Company in 1975. In 1983, Pabst purchased Olympia--along with Hamm's. It was at this time that the Saint Paul flagship brewery was traded to the Stroh Brewing Company; Stroh's continued to operate the brewery until 1997. When it closed, the operation ended a 137-year brewing tradition on the site. Its buildings were shuttered, and subsequently vandalized, demolished, or left to decay. Miller Brewing acquired the brand from Pabst in 1999. Miller was later purchased by South African Breweries and the name was changed to SABMiller. Subsequently, SABMiller formed a joint venture combining their US and Puerto Rican assets with those of Molson Coors to form MillerCoors. In 2016, SABMiller sold its interests in MillerCoors to Molson Coors, who had been its partner in the joint venture, for around $12 billion. Molson Coors gained full ownership of the Miller brand portfolio outside of the US and Puerto Rico, and retained the rights to all of the brands that were in the MillerCoors portfolio for the US and Puerto Rico. Molson Coors now produces Hamm's beers: Premium and Golden Draft. If you were a child in Minnesota during the 1950s and 1960s, one of your early memories may be watching a black-and-white cartoon bear in the Hamm's Beer television commercials. The Hamm's bear, Sasha, became one of several iconic characters linked to well-known Minnesota products and legends. The popular and award-winning Hamm's commercials, part of the Land of Sky Blue Waters advertising campaign, featured the clumsy and appealing bear, a catchy jingle, and a drumbeat. (wiki)Check Out Our Store Listings For More Collectibles! (Condition: Pre-Owned)

Note: This item has been sold and is no longer available. This page serves as a historical price reference for Matchbook collectors and appraisers.