Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeWhat's It Worth today takes a look at two quite different items. One dates to Prohibition in America, the other could have been used by a preacher advocating Prohibition.
Q. We are holding a wooden folding pump organ from the early 1900s for a friend. She wants us to donate it to a museum. However, before we do so, I'd like to get a valuation for her, so we know what we're dealing with. It is a "World Famous Folding Organ Bilhorn Brothers Style K" according to the somewhat ornate label. The latest date I can find is 1909. It still works and is in good condition. Can you help? -- Tedd in West Richland
A. The Bilhorn Brothers Folding Organ company was founded in 1885 in Chicago by Peter Bilhorn, a well-known evangelist of the era. He invented the compact machine -- which folds down to the size of a small suitcase -- to aid in his ministry.
However, both Peter and his brother George were shrewd businessmen and soon they opened the manufacturing plant, which was immediately successful. By the turn of the 20th century, the Bilhorn instruments were being sold in the Sears-Roebuck catalog and orders were pouring in from around the world.
Bilhorn always was known for high quality, and their instruments weren't cheap. In 1916, a bottom-of-the-line unit would cost about $50 and the special "Tropical" model, designed for use in the humid climates of Africa and elsewhere, was going for $150.
Author Pam Fluke wrote in the Journal of the Reed Organ Society that Bilhorn made most of their knockdown cases of high quality oak.
"Bilhorn produced an astonishing number of models in their folding styles," Fluke notes. "One catalog of about 1916 listed 21 different types of instruments."
Bilhorn exhibited at many world's fairs in the early 1900s, winning medals at nearly all of them. The company's instruments were so popular, they kept moving to larger and larger manufacturing facilities in Chicago.
Today, the Bilhorn folding organ is "old technology," but collectible. You'll find examples in museums from Sydney, Australia to Northern California.
We've seen quite a few listed for sale at shops on the Internet for between $200 and $300. In the spring of 2007 one sold at an auction in Lewistown, Mont., for $225.
In excellent playing condition, this interesting piece would be priced at about $300 in a shop or at an antiques show.
Q. I found this tray in a shed we were cleaning out. It measures about 10 inches by 13 inches and is obviously advertising "Bevo the Beverage." Having never heard of that, I thought I'd ask what you might know. The tray is in what I'd call "good, not great" shape. There is some scuffing and wear, but no rust. -- June in Finley
A. Turn your calendar back about 90 years, and you'll find lots of folks drinking Bevo.
It all came about with Prohibition. When the armed forces banned alcohol in 1916, Anheuser-Busch -- that's right, the Budweiser beer people -- started making Bevo (pronounced Bee-Vo). It was a brewed malted drink with no alcohol. "Near beer" is what people called it.
When the 16th Amendment was ratified, the sale of alcohol -- including beer and wine -- became illegal in America, so Anheuser ramped up production of Bevo. By the early 1920s, 5 million cases a year were being shipped from St. Louis.
Anheuser-Busch was an early player in big-time advertising. They touted Bevo as "Healthy, Refreshing, Nutritious, Cooling, the All Year-Round Soft Drink."
Clever bootleggers had more to do with Bevo's demise than any other factor. The rumrunners figured out how to brew and distribute real beer, which is what a certain segment of the public really wanted. By 1929, Bevo production has slipped to less then 100,000 cases a year and the brewer pulled the plug, shutting down operations.
Your tray is one of the few Bevo promotional items commonly seen by collectors. In excellent condition, a retail value would be $125.
And, no, we have no idea what it tasted like. Any reader recall quaffing a cool, refreshing Bevo?
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