The 'Stock' Exchange
Kaufmann & Strauss Co. 'The Connisurer'
Kaufmann & Strauss Co. 'The Connisurer'
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Date: Pre-pro
Size: 13"
Style: Inverted Pie
Scarcity: Uncommon
Value: $$$ to $$$$
Condition & Brewer Dependent
Size: 13"
Style: Inverted Pie
Scarcity: Uncommon
Value: $$$ to $$$$
Condition & Brewer Dependent
Confirmed Brewer used Stock Trays
John Eichler Brewing Co.
New York, NY
Inverted Pie Oval
Inverted Pie Oval
Providence Brewing Co.
Providence, RI
13" Inverted Pie
13" Inverted Pie
Non-Beer Related & Non-Tray Uses
General
Yet another K&S entrant in the "only two different examples that prove it is a stock design" pool with example from Providence Brewing of Rhode Island and John Eichler Brewing of New York City. The design features an older man in somewhat stereo-typical Bavarian or Swiss mountain garb - green hunting jacket, embroidered vest, and likely if it had been a full portrait, lederhosen. These traditional garments in German-speaking countries and regions are known as "Tracht". Although the word is most often associated with Bavarian, Austrian, South Tyrolean and Trentino garments, including lederhosen and dirndls, many other German-speaking peoples have them, as did the former Danube Swabian populations of Central Europe.
The one outlier is the hat he is wearing, a sort of flatter bowler which doesn't bear a resemblance to traditional headwear of the region. We've searched to see if we could find an original artwork that this might have been based on; however, we have been unsuccessful in locating anything. Nowadays you may still encounter people of the region in various styles of "tracht", usually as part of some traditional performance group (e.g., band, dance troupe, etc.).
Yet another K&S entrant in the "only two different examples that prove it is a stock design" pool with example from Providence Brewing of Rhode Island and John Eichler Brewing of New York City. The design features an older man in somewhat stereo-typical Bavarian or Swiss mountain garb - green hunting jacket, embroidered vest, and likely if it had been a full portrait, lederhosen. These traditional garments in German-speaking countries and regions are known as "Tracht". Although the word is most often associated with Bavarian, Austrian, South Tyrolean and Trentino garments, including lederhosen and dirndls, many other German-speaking peoples have them, as did the former Danube Swabian populations of Central Europe.
The one outlier is the hat he is wearing, a sort of flatter bowler which doesn't bear a resemblance to traditional headwear of the region. We've searched to see if we could find an original artwork that this might have been based on; however, we have been unsuccessful in locating anything. Nowadays you may still encounter people of the region in various styles of "tracht", usually as part of some traditional performance group (e.g., band, dance troupe, etc.).
Couple in "Tracht" Garments
We are also a bit perplexed by the small goblet (same in both examples) from which he is drinking. While somewhat similar goblets are not uncommon in that region, to our knowledge they are used exclusively for wine; we do not know them to have been used for beer, especially since the lagers and helles typical of the region were lower alcohol beers and served in larger steins or mugs.
German Beer Stein
Hutter Porcelain Closure
In both cases, the design features an actual newspaper specific to the city where the brewery was located. We suspect that in both cases the ads are notional and not necessarily meant to represent actual ads. The Providence Journal was first published in 1829 and continues to this day, claiming to be "America's oldest daily newspaper in continuous publication." Originally it was a strongly partisan Republican paper but became less so in the late 1880s following the death of publisher George W. Danielson. The Journal became fiercely anti-German in the years prior to America's entry into WW I. The New York Herald (featured on the Eichler tray) was published from 1835 until 1924 when it merged with the rival New York Tribune to form the New York Herald Tribune which continued until 1966. Unlike the Providence Journal, it asserted itself as staunchly non-partisan and by the mid-1800s was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the country. It had a subtle bias toward the Democrat party and later the Know-Nothing faction; it did tend to be anti-Catholic in its views.
The Eichler example features one of the few porcelain/wire bail stopper with blob top style bottles on a tray that we can recall. It appears to be a "Hutter Closure" (see above), which was patented in 1893 and was an improvement over the earlier "Lightening Stopper" (1875) other options prior to caps. Our understanding is these were in use until roughly 1910. We have not ascertained whether the label or bottle are actual representations. The only porcelain stopper style bottle we've seen from Eichler is embossed so it is unlikely to have been labeled and while we've seen similar looking labels from roughly that time period, none of them have been for a pilsener. Interestingly, the bottle shape with stopper appears to be the same in the newspaper ad but the label is slightly different, although perhaps it is just a simplification for easier lithographic reproduction.
Interestingly, this same discrepancy between the label on the bottle and within the newspaper ad also appears on the Providence example. The New England Breweriana (Gary Cushman, et al) book from Schiffer Publishing includes a bottle with a label very similar to but not exactly the same as the one depicted on the bottle (page 167). The Providence example also includes a flat figural style opener on the table (not necessary for Eichler given it is a porcelain stopper style bottle) featuring a hand and a bottle. Just for Openers by Donald A. Bull and John R. Stanley (Schiffer Publishing) includes this exact style (hand and bottle) opener on its cover, so while we haven't confirmed an example from Providence, it is a possibility such an opener was produced.
Size, Shape & Advertising Placement
The examples from Providence are 13" convex pies which were a less common but hardly unknown configuration from K&S. The Eichler examples are a pretty unusual size and shape for K&S; there are only a couple other oval examples in their catalog that we are aware of:
The Eichler example features one of the few porcelain/wire bail stopper with blob top style bottles on a tray that we can recall. It appears to be a "Hutter Closure" (see above), which was patented in 1893 and was an improvement over the earlier "Lightening Stopper" (1875) other options prior to caps. Our understanding is these were in use until roughly 1910. We have not ascertained whether the label or bottle are actual representations. The only porcelain stopper style bottle we've seen from Eichler is embossed so it is unlikely to have been labeled and while we've seen similar looking labels from roughly that time period, none of them have been for a pilsener. Interestingly, the bottle shape with stopper appears to be the same in the newspaper ad but the label is slightly different, although perhaps it is just a simplification for easier lithographic reproduction.
Interestingly, this same discrepancy between the label on the bottle and within the newspaper ad also appears on the Providence example. The New England Breweriana (Gary Cushman, et al) book from Schiffer Publishing includes a bottle with a label very similar to but not exactly the same as the one depicted on the bottle (page 167). The Providence example also includes a flat figural style opener on the table (not necessary for Eichler given it is a porcelain stopper style bottle) featuring a hand and a bottle. Just for Openers by Donald A. Bull and John R. Stanley (Schiffer Publishing) includes this exact style (hand and bottle) opener on its cover, so while we haven't confirmed an example from Providence, it is a possibility such an opener was produced.
Size, Shape & Advertising Placement
The examples from Providence are 13" convex pies which were a less common but hardly unknown configuration from K&S. The Eichler examples are a pretty unusual size and shape for K&S; there are only a couple other oval examples in their catalog that we are aware of:
J.&M. Haffen Brewing Co.
Chr. Heurich Brewing Co.
We have never encountered another oval stock design by K&S. Both examples feature a tan colored rim (albeit of slightly different hues) with block text on the rim with barley and hops embellishments. The Providence is a little more basic with a more cartoon style graphic. In addition, both feature some ad text on the face (the Eichler is more extensive).
Price
Approximately 90% of the auction examples we have seen that are complete with pricing have been from Providence, with prices for average condition ranging in the mid-triple figures to the low four figures for better than average examples. We have seen too few Eichler examples to have any confidence in expressing any pricing.
Price
Approximately 90% of the auction examples we have seen that are complete with pricing have been from Providence, with prices for average condition ranging in the mid-triple figures to the low four figures for better than average examples. We have seen too few Eichler examples to have any confidence in expressing any pricing.
