CAMRA's 40th National Breweriana Auction - we're back again !

Saturday 24th October 2026

Thanks to everyone who came along to our 39th event. We are back again in October 2026, at the Burton Town Hall, for our 40th event but, sadly, this will be our very last national event - so don't miss it.

For timings, see below.

To see the 2024 Catalogue; scroll down to access and to download the associated photos.

Have you ever fancied owning a slice of brewing history?

Then this Auction is just the thing for you. We'll will have over 150 interesting auction lots; everything from mirrors to trays; advertising signs, water jugs, flagons, bottles, books and pump clips as well as a few more unusual items. Plus there will be a number of stands selling brewery memorabilia adding to the atmosphere in this wonderful Victorian venue.

There are all sorts of items from all over the country to decorate your home. What about a flagon from Wadworths? Wadworths is based in Devizes, Wiltshire. They were founded in 1875 and remarkably are still owned and run by the descendants of John Smith Bathlomew, the co-founder of the brewery.

Or what about a limited-edition commemorative Millennium Ale set comprising of an unopened bottle, glass and bottle opener in a lovely metal container. This is from Mansfield Brewery, who first started brewing in 1855 in North Nottinghamshire, taken over by Wolverhampton and Dudley in 1999 and closed in 2002. Wolverhampton & Dudley then took over Marston’s and adopted that name. Sadly, following acquisition by Carlsberg, the Wolverhampton Brewery was closed in 2026.

As always, there will be a number of display stands and talking of Marston’s, anyone remember Merrie Monk? It was a strong Dark Mild that disappeared a few years ago only for the name to be resurrected in 2024 by Marston’s for a lager!

Moving further south, there is a sign from the defunct Wethered’s Brewery in Marlow. The brewery is believed to have dated from 1758 and were purchased by Strong & Co of Romsey in 1949, who in turn were bought by Whitbread in 1968. It lasted for a further 20 years as a brewery becoming a distribution centre for a number of years. It’s now party commercial, part residential although a number of the old brewery buildings remain. However, Wethered’s did inspire the next generation of brewers when two local fans set up the successful Rebellion Brewery in 1993 in Marlow Bottom.

There are two items that you can either use, or more likely display; a tray from Bass and a Worthington ashtray (well used!). And straddling the two brewers is a trio of leaflets listing their bottlers . These two Burton on Trent breweries were founded in the mid/late 1700's with Worthington 16 years older. By the late 1800's Bass was the biggest brewery in the world and merged with Worthington in 1927. Bass sold the brand to Coors (now Molson Coors) in 2002. Maybe their best known brand was Worthington White Shield; an iconic British style IPA, which ceased production in 2023 but you can still purchase it in Norway and the Netherlands!

These are just a few of the items on sale, each with a history to tell. You don’t have to be an expert to attend the National Breweriana Auction. The Auction is great fun to take part in (or even just to watch) and it’s an opportunity to get some great bargains plus many of the items on sale can appreciate in value. And, of course, like any CAMRA event, there is some good beer on sale all day (from a local brewery).

The event starts at 10.30am with the opportunity to view the lots and browse the breweriana stands that will also be there. Bidding starts at noon and is normally finished by 3pm, giving a chance to have a final perusal of the stands before visiting some of Burton's iconic pubs and heading home.

Entrance is by catalogue (£3.00), available on the day, or in advance by post: £6.45 (first class) from Bill Austin: 07831 688276 or moc.tenetnitb@1591nitsuab. If you can’t get there, postal bids are accepted, just contact Bill but copy in moc.kooltuo@enyrc.c. The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Please read the following section for details and guidance if you are thinking of attending .

DETAILS FOR THE DAY AND INFORMATION

Burton Town Hall, King Edward Pl, Burton-on-Trent DE14 2EB

10.30am Auction items available for viewing.
10.30am-4pm Collectors' fair, a number of stalls selling a range of breweriana.
Noon-3pm Auction of over 150 lots of brewery related items including commemorative bottled beers, pump clips, books, display signs, trays, beer mats etc.

There is a small bar selling beer, soft drinks, crisps etc throughout the day. Feel free to bring in your own food.

After the event, there are lots of great pubs in Burton on Trent to visit. You can find a list of the closest pubs to the Town Hall selling cask beer here: https://camra.org.uk/pubs/postcode/de14-2eb-1336864?sort=nearest&serves[0]=cask&beer_score=1
Please note that items may be paid for at the two breaks and at the end. No payments can be taken while the Auction is taking place.

Postal bids, emailed to Bill Austin: moc.tenretnitb@1591nitsuab, copying in moc.kooltuo@100enyrc.c, are welcome, but must be received by noon on Friday 23rd October giving clear details of the item, lot number, amount of bid, and name, address and telephone number of the bidder. There is no buyer's commission, and no VAT addition .

THE CATALOGUE

The 2024 catalogue is here: Auction Catalogue 2024 and the photos here: Auction Catalogue Photos. If anyone wants to see a more detailed photo of any item, please contact Bill.

We try our best to make the catalogue and the descriptions as accurate as possible. However, it is impossible to give full details of some items and these should be verified on the day of the sale. In order to give an idea of the condition of the lots, we will indicate those items which are in excellent condition with 'XX', and those in good condition with 'X'. Unmarked items are in poor condition and those marked with an O are unseen. Some of the lots are being auctioned on behalf of third parties and some of the descriptions are attributable to the sellers. As this designation is a very subjective matter, particularly given the age of some of the items, we strongly recommend that the items are viewed on the day of the sale.

As we expect a number of articles to be offered for sale after the catalogue has been printed, a number of spaces have been left. A list of 'late arrivals' will be available on the day of the sale.

We reserve the right to include further lots, withdraw lots, or to make available duplicate items without prior notice.

PURCHASE OF LOTS

To reduce the need for items to be paid for individually, we propose to keep a record of each purchase so that all lots bought can be collected and paid for either during the breaks or at the end of the auction. In order for this to work smoothly we would ask that each attendee registers and obtains a bidder number. All lots must be paid for and removed from the auction room by 4pm on the day of the auction.

Cheques will only be accepted by prior arrangement. We are also able to accept payment by Visa/MasterCard credit cards and by debit cards.

There are 'reserves' on various lots in the auction: if the bidding fails to reach the reserve amount the item will be withdrawn. Items withdrawn will be available for purchase during the intervals and at the end of the auction.

GUIDE PRICES

We are again providing a guide price for those lots where such a figure is above £10. These appear in red at the end of the item's description. The lower figure of the range shown is not less than the reserve price of the lot, and may be higher.

OPERATION OF POSTAL BIDS

One person (plus a reserve person) will act on behalf of a postal bidder as though such a bidder was in the room. That person will sit in front of the auctioneer in a reserved seat each time a lot is auctioned for which there has been a postal bid. The nominated person will bid in incremental steps as proposed by the auctioneer for the lot until either the bid is successful or the stated postal bid amount is reached. If a bidder in the hall makes a final bid of the same amount as the stated postal bid, the lot will be sold to the bidder in the hall.

DONORS OF LOTS

CAMRA Games & Collectables would like to thank all those individuals and CAMRA Branches who have contributed lots to the auction.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Reference documents that were consulted included:
- Various CAMRA Good Beer Guides
- Century of British Brewers by Norman Barber (Brewery History Society)
- The Brewing Industry edited by Lesley Richmond and Alison Turton
- British Beermat Collectors' Society (BBCS) list of beer mats

Thanks to everyone who has assisted in the organisation and helped publicise CAMRA's National Breweriana Auction.