Preliminary identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
This is a magnificent, turn-of-the-century brass and copper multi-tap beer dispenser tower, featuring a highly detailed cast metal relief plaque reading 'ON DRAFT' with a central maple leaf motif. It is crowned by a cast metal finial depicting King Gambrinus, the legendary patron saint of beer, raising a foaming goblet in toast.
Story
Before Prohibition silenced America's taverns in 1920, saloons competed fiercely to lure in working-class patrons with opulent, gleaming brass fixtures. This tower was the crown jewel of the bar, designed to make the simple act of pouring a cold lager feel like a royal ceremony. The figure on top is King Gambrinus, a mythical Flemish king celebrated as the inventor of hopped beer.
Maker / Origin
The Liquid Carbonic Company was founded in Chicago in 1888 by Jacob Baur, a pharmacist who revolutionized the beverage industry by manufacturing liquefied carbon dioxide. The company quickly expanded into producing high-end soda fountains, brass draft beer apparatus, and saloon backbars, becoming famous for their heavy, indestructible brass castings and ornate Victorian designs.
Condition & Value
The brass and copper show a wonderful, warm aged patina with minor surface scuffs, light oxidation, and typical wear from commercial use. The wooden tap handles are later replacements, and one tap faucet is currently missing from the central port.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.