Rare Storz Beer Memorabila - Fran Kassmeier Estate
Rare Storz Beer Memorabila - Fran Kassmeier Estate
by The Auction Mill
Event Begins: Monday, August 3, 8:00 PM Central
First lots ends Sunday, August 30, 7:00 PM Central
Last lot ends Sunday, August 30, 9:00 PM Central
Last lot ends Sunday, August 30, 9:00 PM Central
The Fran & Bob Kassmeier Family Estate of Howells, Nebraska brings 200+ unique and rare lots of Storz Brewing Company memorabilia to auction — the result of a mother’s lifelong passion for collecting one of Omaha’s most beloved regional breweries. Storz Brewing operated in Omaha from 1876 until 1972, and this collection captures nearly every era and category of their advertising output. No reserves, no minimums — everything sells regardless of price.
The rarest pieces deserve mention first. Two Storz & Iler Columbia Brewing acid-etched heavy glass mugs in Gothic script date to the 1880s and are potentially among the most significant pieces of Storz pre-Prohibition brewing history to surface at auction. A massive run of rare Storz Western Cowboy Wallace China dinnerware by artist Till Goodan — produced exclusively for Storz in Los Angeles — spans dozens of individual lots. The rare animated Curious George store display by Paul Stanley Merchandising is incomplete but runs, and pieces of this type almost never come to market. Rounding out the top tier is a spectacular 48-inch Art Deco Storz Triumph Beer porcelain neon sign by the Neon Radiant Sign Co. of Omaha in excellent condition. Beyond those anchors, the collection is loaded with over two dozen lighted beer signs including Scene-O-Rama rotating wildlife signs, a 72-inch mountain lake scene and a rare Plasti-Ad Designers On Draught sign, seven lighted clocks including a rare Double Bubble example, dozens of framed wildlife prints by Richard E. Bishop and Herb Chidley commissioned specifically for Storz, a 1940s Alps mechanical bear pouring a Storz Beer, the rare Storz-ette flat top 8oz beer can marketed to women c. 1953, a signed letter by Arthur C. Storz himself and much more. The auction also includes a strong selection of Howells and Dodge, Nebraska local advertising ephemera from the same estate.
Bidding is open now and all lots close Sunday, August 30th. Public Preview: Friday, August 28th, 9am–1pm at The Auction Mill Warehouse, 1528 N Saddle Creek Rd, Omaha. Preview by appointment also available — text 402.690.8666. Local pickup Thursday & Friday, September 3rd & 4th by appointment.
