Pabst Blue Ribbon Spanish Ad Sign + Souvenir Bottle — LA, c.1953–57

This lot brings together two original pieces of Pabst Blue Ribbon advertising attributable to the Los Angeles brewery and datable with confidence to 1953–1957 — a large Spanish-language lithographed cardboard store display and a matching miniature souvenir bottle. The dating is supported by three converging facts: the sign's bottom-edge imprint reads "Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, Calif.," and that plant was not dedicated until 1953; the "Finest Beer Served Anywhere" slogan appearing on both pieces was used exclusively during Pabst's nationally documented "What'll You Have?" campaign, which ran from late 1951 through 1957; and the bold fiesta-themed graphic style is consistent with the brewery's aggressive early marketing push in the years immediately following the LA plant's opening.

The sign is headlined in bold yellow type "Descubra Ud. El Tesoro Azul" — Discover the Blue Treasure — above a secondary banner reading "Tome Cerveza," drink beer. The image is a vivid lithographed tableau of condensation-beaded PBR bottles spilling from an open treasure chest amid gold coins, pearls, and festive serape-striped ribbons, printed in saturated blues, golds, and reds that retain remarkable strength across most of the surface. The full printer's imprint along the bottom edge reads: Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, Calif. — Code No. 16 — Litho in U.S.A. The accompanying souvenir bottle is amber glass in the classic longneck form, retaining its original gold crimped crown cap — never removed — and both paper labels reading "Souvenir — Special — Does Not Contain Beer — Finest Beer Served Anywhere." The bottle remains full and sealed with its original contents, confirming it has never been opened and has been kept intact for approximately 70 years.

What makes this lot stand apart from the broad field of mid-century beer advertising is its crossover reach into three distinct and active collector communities. For breweriana collectors, it is a documented, tightly dated example from one of Pabst's most significant expansion-era campaigns, paired with a period souvenir bottle that corroborates the dating. For Latin Americana and Chicano cultural history collectors, it is a primary-source artifact of Pabst's direct outreach to Spanish-speaking consumers from its Los Angeles base — a piece of marketing history that reflects the demographic and cultural landscape of postwar Southern California. And for California regional history collectors, it is a tangible product of the LA brewery that Pabst opened in 1953 to establish its first West Coast presence, a facility that operated for over two decades before closing in 1979. Any one of those angles would make this a worthwhile acquisition. All three together make it genuinely hard to replicate. Review the Condition section before purchasing.

CONDITION

Good. The sign retains vivid color across the majority of its printed surface with no tears or creasing to the image field; finish loss is present along the left and top edges, as shown in the listing photos. The souvenir bottle is full and sealed with its original crown cap intact and never removed; both paper labels show light toning and minor rubbing to the front label center.

DIMENSIONS

Sign: 20" H × 17" W
Bottle: 4.5" H × 1.25" Diameter