RARE Vintage c1939 Hamm's Preferred Stock Beer LARGE Tin Metal Sign Rudd, Iowa

Occasionally, one will find the smaller Hamm's Preferred Stock 24" x 18" signs for sale at auction houses, but it is a rare to find the large version!

Sign is complete with the privilege panel for "L.R. Kerlin Curb Service". From research, L.R. (Lee Roy) Kerlin operated a filling station and liquor store in Rudd, Iowa in the late 1930s through the 1950s. I have attached a screenshot from an old newspaper listing an "L.R. Filling Station and Beer" for business in Rudd, Iowa in 1939.

This sign likely dates to circa 1939. It was produced by the Donaldson Art Sign Company, which held Hamm's contracts throughout the 1930s. The "Fully Aged" slogan was a specific marketing push from 1936–1940 to prove quality over the "green" beers that flooded the market after Prohibition.

By 1945, Hamm’s shifted their branding to the "Land of Sky Blue Waters" and the Hamm's Bear. Since this sign lacks those iconic 1950s elements, it stands as a pure example of their pre-war Art Deco era.

The sign has been self-framed with wood for better preservation and easier display. It shows some light surface rust but, in my opinion, has the perfect amount of patina. Think of the stories this sign could tell!

Sign measures approx. 60” by 44”