I didn't know where to post this and this item is going into my garage when I get one, so I'm posting it here.
I was up drinking coffee early this morning and scanning Craigslist and EstateSale.net not looking for anything in particular. I came upon an estate sale that had a picture of an old Hamm's beer sign for sale. My dad worked for Hamm's when I was young and I've always had a soft spot for the bear and other Hamm's items. The sale started two days ago and most of the good stuff is gone pretty quickly, but I thought 'what the hell?' and decided to drive the twenty minutes to go check it out. Here's the pic that they posted.
Once I got there I was pleasantly surprised to see the sign that said "All items 50% off" and that the Hamm's sign was still for sale! My ethusiasm faded quickly when I saw the tag that said "Lights up but doesn't scroll $600". Now I had already done my research and knew that these things are selling for $1000 on eBay but I wasn't ready to spend a bunch of money on something that needed work. The more I looked at it though, the more I realized that this thing is really "mint" for a 50 year old sign that was meant to hang in a smokey bar room somewhere. There are no chips, cracks or missing pieces. It lit up but didn't move, as described. So, remembering the 50% off, I bit the bullet and took a chance on it.
I carefully loaded it up into the back of my truck and rushed home, eager to tear into it. Like I said, I had already done some research and I knew that replacement motors are available as well as rollers for the scrolling scene. Four screws later and it was apart. I took the little motor out and tried to rock it back and forth a bit with the sign plugged in. After about thirty seconds I could feel the motor vibrating and trying to turn. I helped it a little and dripped a little 3 in 1 oil down the shaft and it freed up! I lightly dusted the insides with a microfibre cloth and put it back together. Here it is in all of it's glory!
This thing will proudly hang in my garage as a tribute to my dad and someday when I'm gone my kids can fight over it. I'm going to really enjoy this thing. It brings back so many memories.
I enjoyed your story. I grew up on the east side of St. Paul on White Bear Ave. I also loved the Hamm's beer commercials and Land of Sky Blue Waters memoribilia,but my favorite beer was Schmidt, also brewed in St. Paul. You found a real treasure.
