Being a native Minne-SOdan, I grew up in the Land of Sky Blue waters and love anything tied to Hamm's beer. My neighborhood burger joint had a scenorama displayed behind the bar, and I was always transfixed by the hypnotic moving water and rotating scene. Whether it's the animated bear, or the catchy advertising jingles, Hamm's beer stuff is remembered (and collected) fondly in the beer collecting world. I collect ANYTHING with the word Hamm's on it-even obscure items like ashtrays, tape measures, pens and coin purses. (But with years of collecting experience, it's hard to surprise me. If I have it, I may buy your item to upgrade mine. If I don't, I'll pay you too much)
Let's start with the large Hamm's moving water signs:
The Scenoramas (#1 and #2)
Most people associate the "scenorama" moving water sign as the definitive advertising item from Hamm's. But there are different versions of it. There are 2 LARGE versions, which are about 5 feet across. One has a moving scene, the other doesn't. Unscrupulous sellers may claim that their large sign "quit working" but a quick check of the inner guts will tell you if its a non-moving sign. There are also variations on the front-some have a clock, others a logo and food scene.
There are a few variations on the small sign, and they are related to the logo panel. Some have "On tap" or may have a round logo insert to the left of the scene. There are also non-moving versions with a static picture/scene that are HOUSED in a scenorama casing (shingles on the roof, wood grain casing, about 3 ft. across) The non moving signs are worth considerably less than their moving counterparts. But even broken Hamm's signs have value for the parts. The casing, roof and logo plates can be used to restore signs in offgrade condition, so don't assume your sign is worthless.
and the OTHERS with moving water:
1965 Anniversary Rippler (#3)
This was mfg between 1964-66 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the brewery (along with a bunch of other stuff like keychains, etc) This sign has TWO motion panels-a waterfall breaking through the pines on the left and a lake with 3 birch trees on the right. It has a curved woodgrain border with the dimensional Hamms logo in the center. It's about 3. 5 ft across and 12 inches high.
Starry Skies or blinking mugs sign (#4)
This comes in two sizes, large and small. The small version has PAPER bricks, the large one has dimensional PLASTIC bricks. There is also a version with a cartoon moon on the horizon which is the hardest example to find. The wording below the fence is "Aged and aged from moon to moon" I've seen versions that have the logo obscured or taken off, as people liked the sign and scene, but didn't want the beer logo shown.
1956 TV Box Rippler (#5)
This was named because of the gray plastic housing which surrounds it-it resembles a plastic TV. There is a single moving scene OVER the glass Hamm's logo plate. Its hard to find an example WITHOUT the scene being stuck, bubbled or melted to the glass. The same goes for the logo below-the lightbulb was usually replaced with a high wattage bulb, which fried the paint from within.
Sunrise/Sunset sign (#6)
This has two versions also-one with the gold goblets in the upper left and one with a clock. There is an inner scroll which makes the scene slowly change from day to evening. Its not as showy as the bigger signs, but is still interesting to watch. The fence and roof corners are prone to breakage.
Flipper Barrel (#7)
There is a series of beer related signs that flip over within the inner barrel. The front panel is lighted.
Billboard, Snowdrift and Innertube (or tuber) bear signs (#8, #9 and #10)
These are notoriously fragile, as the outer shell is made from dimensional/hollow plastic, and is prone to edge cracking. Its hard to find one with all the trees and signage intact too. The bears all move in some manner on these signs, and the ice skater bear should have a mini cardboard 6 pack container on his raised finger. Like the flipper barrel, the billboard bear points to the rotating billboard behind him, which has 3 seperate scenes.
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