Here is an original Yuengling Barrel Branding Iron for the D. G. Yuengling & Sons Brewery located in Pottsville, PA. This pre prohibition branding iron would have been used to brand the brewery’s name into the head (top) of the wooden beer keg barrels. This is by far one of the rarest pieces I have in my collection as this branding iron is considered brewery equipment and was never intended to be distributed to the public. This branding iron is made of a heavy solid piece of copper which makes sense since copper is a heat and cold conductor.
There can’t be to many of these still in existence from any brewery for that matter; who know, the Yuengling brewery may have only had one or two of these in use before the kegs were switched out to aluminum and stainless steel hence making this branding iron obsolete. I’m sure the Yuengling brewery doesn’t have one of these in their gift shop breweriana display. It’s a very beautiful piece, has a lot of history, and I’m happy to have it in my collection.