Summer 2023

to pop off the cap single-handedly. Early soda companies such as Coca- Cola had a built-in wall-mount opener on the front of their machines, so impatient patrons could enjoy their sodas immediately after purchase. The heyday of collectible bottle openers, particularly the highly desired figural, was between 1910-1920. In that era, guys were attracted to the multi-tool openers with corkscrews, knives, nail clippers or little button- hooks for lacing up shoes.These were carried in their pockets and some had openers with a square hole to turn on the gas carbide switch on headlights or use on the gas tank as well. Before prohibition, when the country went dry in January of 1920, the breweries churned out openers with their advertising etched on the metal.These were called “flat figurals.”They almost always had a key ring hole in them, so they could be carried on a key chain and fit comfortably in a man’s pocket. Another version of the flat figural opener was the “spin- ner.” It was a man’s drinking game with logos displayed such as “You Pay,” or “Next Round’s on You.”These drinking openers had a small pin on the backside so they could be spun, à la spin-the-bottle, to determine who bought the next round. However, my favorite openers are the cast iron figurals, as pictured here.The majority of these whimsical openers were made between 1940 and the mid-1960s. They are highly reproduced because of their charm, so collectors need to be knowledgeable to keep impostors out of their collections. Despite the fact that vintage bottle openers are fairly easy to find and surprisingly inexpensive to collect, there are higher-end options out there. Authentic figural cast iron rarities can fetch hundreds of dollars each. There are some 16,000 known collectible beer openers. A collector in St. Louis has about 40,000 in his collection. Loving beer is a timeless romance between man and his brew. In 2011, President Barack Obama purchased a home brewing kit using his per- sonal funds. The chefs at the White House, upon the request by the President, started the process of brewing a recipe using a pound of honey collected from beehives on the South Lawn. It was said to use traditional brewing methods, and was bottled and labeled with a custom logo depict- ing a line drawing of the White House on a maroon background. On September 15, 2011, former United States Marine Corps Sergeant Dakota Meyer was the recipient of the Medal of Honor at the White House. When informed of his award, he requested to share a beer with President Obama.The President accepted the offer and they each drank a bottle of the White House Honey Ale on the patio outside the Oval Office.This famed recipe can be found online and it was the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds, and is part of the national archives. The bottle opener hasn’t changed much since its invention by Painter, but its place in history is rooted firmly in the fact that it is still an essen- tial tool, even in modern times. Whether popping beers on a fishing trip, around a beach bonfire or at a backyard barbecue, I always have a wine corkscrew with bottle opener as a backup in my truck. Bottled beverages haven’t exactly gone out of style, but in a world of twist-offs and pop-outs, we should always be prepared to enjoy a taste of whatever may come our way. Marjorie Snow is a published writer and photographer with a vast knowl- edge of antiques and their history. Snow was the owner of Terra Cotta in Las Vegas, an exclusive architectural vintage gallery, which has been featured in numerous West Coast magazines. Early cast-iron openers are highly collectible due to their immense charm. Pictured here, a male swimmer in striped trunks; a group of bird openers signed by Rubal, Hubley and John Wright; and a singing cowboy with guitar. C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 95 Back in the 1800s, there wasn’t a need for bottle openers because bottles were closed with a cork or wood plug and opened with a corkscrew.