We’re passionate about beer tap decals and it’s always fun to stumble across someone else who is too.
Our new friend Martin mysteriously received a sample box of our tap decals and rang us to figure out how he came to receive them, and to find out more about our goodies. After a fun chat we decided his story was too good not to share with you.
Martin with his incredible collection
In his tool shed/man cave, Martin has established a massive collection of beer taps decals, badges and other beer paraphernalia. On display he currently has around 1,200 metal, plastic, and wooden tap decals from some of Australia’s top and emerging breweries (though we’re sure he’s open to more). He also has around 1,000 flexidome resin decals stored in 4-5 fully stuffed display albums.
Fun fact: Martin has also decorated his shed walls and ceiling with around 3,500 – 4,000 Australian beer cans and a bunch of bottle caps from around the world. Plus a couple of Tennent girls from Scotland, because no beer collection is complete without some lovely bosoms.
His interest in collecting started around 40 years ago (although at 84 we’re sure his interest in drinking beer started much earlier) when during a game of golf a fellow collector started talking about his collection. Martin asked to see it, and when he visited he was gifted a plastic bag of about 30-40 beer cans.
Later on while doing a stint out in the country, which of course means pub meal after pub meal, Martin discovered his love for tap decals and resin badges, which are now his favourite part of the collection. Probably the most valuable item in his collection is his Courage Brewery tap decal which dates back to the late 50s/early 60s. One of his more modern favourites is the moulded metal tap decal from Coopers Brewery, a striking looking tap decal with Thomas Coopers’ magnanimous face on it.
Like us, you might be wondering if he actually drinks all of the beer he collects. The answer is not so much anymore. When he enjoys a tipple he prefers a Coopers Mild Ale, Tooheys Extra Dry or XXXX Gold. However these days the beer cans he buys for his trading partners are handed over the fence to his neighbour, who drinks them for him and hands back the empties. #myneighbourisbetterthanyours
