Gold Medal Beer Cone Top Can

Stegmaier Gold Medal High Cone

This 12-ounce high-profile cone top was produced for the Stegmaier Brewing Company of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Defined by its black background and distinctive brown central crest emblem, the label proudly showcases four large gold exhibition medallions flanking an intricate monogrammed shield topped with a crown and underpinned by a double-headed eagle emblem. The can's lower front face identifies the mandatory brewing statement, "BREWED AND FILLED BY STEGMAIER BREWING CO. WILKES-BARRE, PA."

The Brand

Stegmaier's flagship product was christened Gold Medal Beer following an extraordinary run of international brewing accolades. Between 1910 and 1913, the brewery's beer earned eight gold medals at premier international industrial expositions, including major competitions held in Rome, Paris, and Antwerp. To capitalize on this prestige, Stegmaier built the brand's identity entirely around these European honors. The medallions featured on the label are intricate reproductions of these actual award seals, framed alongside portraits of European figures and monarchs. The brand remained Stegmaier’s centerpiece brew for decades, heavily advertised across the East Coast before the brand was transitioned into contract brewing in the 1970s.

The Brewery

Founded in 1857 by German immigrant Charles Stegmaier and his father-in-law George Baer, the business began in modest quarters along Wilkes-Barre's South Canal Street. Through perseverance and expansion, it became the C. Stegmaier & Son brewery in 1863 and officially incorporated as the Stegmaier Brewing Company in 1897. Following the repeal of Prohibition, Stegmaier surged to become one of the largest independent regional breweries in North America, achieving an annual production of half a million barrels by 1940 with a massive distribution footprint supported by both rail lines and a regional trucking fleet. However, fierce competition from national macro-breweries led to declining regional sales by the early 1970s. The Stegmaier plant closed its doors in October 1974, at which point its recipes and label rights were acquired by neighboring Wilkes-Barre competitor, The Lion Brewery.

Collecting Context

Stegmaier cone tops represent a beloved segment of mid-century Pennsylvania breweriana. Collectors particularly appreciate the visual contrast of the brown crest variant against the dark, high-profile cone canvas, as well as the historical story told by the detailed international exhibition medallions.