Posted 10 years ago
Breweriana…
(70 items)
Here is my collection of Old Reading "Old Gus" tap knobs. These tap knobs were made by the Old Reading Brewing Company located in Reading, PA. Old Gus was the brewery's mascot and feature throughout their advertising efforts on billboards, newspaper ads, lighted signs, tin signs, and other advertising pieces.
Four of the tap knobs are made of heavy cast aluminum painted with metallic colors, while the other one is made of a resin and painted with different colors. The metal ones are stamped on the front reading "Old Reading" while the resin one is stamped with "Pale Reserve".
These are great examples of the tap knobs that we distributed by the brewery to taverns and bars, although there are still a few more variations that I don't have in my collection. The bronze one with the red lettering (left) is the only one I've ever seen with red lettering. I have seen a solid silver colored version in the past as well as a dull gray lead version that isn't a tap knob at all, rather a paper weight.
I'm very happy to have these tap knobs in my collection and I hope to find the others I don't have in the future.
Thanks for looking.
Neat thing to collect & imagine they aren't too easy to find. Is the brewery still around or if not, when did they go out of business? Don't think I will be able to donate any found around here, but will keep any eye out for you.
Thanks blunderbuss2, and ya these tap knobs are kind of hard to find. I found most of them in the Pennsylvania except for one that I found via online auction in Florida of all places. Took me 2 years just to find these through auctions, shows, and other collectors / dealers. The Reading Brewing Company operated from 1886 with a brief pause during prohibition during the 1920's then back up and running til 1976. Thanks for looking and keep me posted if you find anything associated with the Reading Brewing Company. :)