1873 Frederick Pabst ("Pabst Blue Ribbon") Signed Phillip Best Brewing Company Stock Certificate & Print (Signature Certified)

Offered here is a scarce Phillip Best Brewing Company stock certificate issued to, and signed-by, Fred Pabst in 1873. A vignette and story card accompanies the document. You will receive the unique item shown in the photos.

Frederick Pabst was an American brewer born in Germany in 1836. He immigrated to Chicago in 1848, where he served as a cabin-boy on a Lake Michigan steamer, eventually working his way up to captain. In this capacity, he met Philip Best, the owner of small but prosperous brewery in Milwaukee, and married his daughter. In 1862, Pabst was taken into partnership of his father-in-law’s brewery and began to study the business very carefully.

He greatly expanded the market for the beer, raising the output of the Best brewery to 100,000 barrels per year. The brewery was eventually converted into a public company, raising increasing rounds of capital to fund the rapidly increasing trade.

On March 18th, 1889, the company name was officially changed to Pabst. Its renowned “Blue Ribbon” label was introduced in the 1890s, a name that resulted from the blue ribbon awarded to it at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition. With Fred at the helm, Pabst rose to become the largest brewery in the world by the turn of the century.

The expert staff of Olevian Numismatic Rarities unconditionally guarantees the authenticity of every historic document they sell, and all signatures contained therein. A certificate of authenticity will be included with each item. In addition, the signatures have been precertified online by Autograph COA, a leading third-party authentication service. A Precertification Letter will be included with your purchase, which is also eligible to be sent to Autograph COA by you for a full Letter of Certification, for a small additional fee.