'Beer Mat' Currency, Germany

Have you thought of a car boot sale Shelldrake?tic

Shelldrake wrote:

I once ordered, from the Warsteiner Brewery, 100 beer mats and a few thousand of those little paper thingys that fit round the stem of the glass to absorb the spillage. Still have a load to this day, sad really!!

Probably collectors' items, now.

I am an avid collector of beer mats or coasters as we call them. I would have a hundred or two.
Also collect beer glasses, only those with brewery name or beer brand. Collected a few from around the world on my travels.

Got quite a few empty (bottom-pierced) beer cans in the loft. Must be 30 years old. Just waiting for a market to open up for them.

Put them on Ebay Dolmetscher, people will buy anything on there. I sent off for a penis enlarger - some bastard sent be a magnifying glass.

So it was you Shelldrake

Shelldrake wrote:

Put them on Ebay Dolmetscher, people will buy anything on there. I sent off for a penis enlarger - some bastard sent be a magnifying glass.

At my age, I'd rather have a pension enlarger!

Dolmetscher wrote:

Got quite a few empty (bottom-pierced) beer cans in the loft. Must be 30 years old. Just waiting for a market to open up for them.

I know a fellow out here who is (or was about 15 years ago) a fanatical collector. Having a can of beer at his house was an adventure; sort of like drinking out of those dribble glasses they used to sell in joke shops.

I'll see if I can locate him and find out if he still collects.

we had a csm who used to write late passes for the lads on the back of beermats , can you still get a glass of beer for 15 pfennigs .ginger

recce83 wrote:

Dolmetscher wrote:

Got quite a few empty (bottom-pierced) beer cans in the loft. Must be 30 years old. Just waiting for a market to open up for them.

I know a fellow out here who is (or was about 15 years ago) a fanatical collector. Having a can of beer at his house was an adventure; sort of like drinking out of those dribble glasses they used to sell in joke shops.

I'll see if I can locate him and find out if he still collects.

Cheers, recce. These are all British cans, by the way.

I was at 4 armd wksps Hannover in 1954 and exactly opposite the camp was a pub.  "Willie Franke's" all our boys used to get in there and it was a terrific place.  No trouble.  Nice people etc, etc,......
Great memories.

Lie/shock dice were the in thing between 76 and 82 and I used to frequent the Ice bar in Detmold, all was put on the beer mat and we were completely trusted to pay when we were ready to, be it a week later, it always got paid. Great system.

The gaffer of the 'Corner bar' at Soltau (Yes I know, not a very original name but it was a bar, on a corner!) let us run up monthly tab's or beer mats. The lads from 1ADOC put a lot of money behind that bar, it was always a surprise when you counted the marks on your beer mat (Both sides) at the end of the month... The gaffer was called Dieter and he was a decent sort, he said monthly beer mats would stop if anyone took the piss and as far as I can remember no one ever did.

As an aside:

There was a superb bit of kit in the toilet, it was my first posting in Germany so it was all new to me. when I went to the loo I saw this large circular porcelain sink with chrome handles on the wall either side of it and you could flush it like a toilet, yes it was for barfing in! they thought of everything.

It was not only a German thing, the Dutch used the beer mat system also. I used to cross the border most weekends and spend time with my brother who lived outside Amsterdam and most of the bars used this system, very trusting people.

Hello Eric England, mind if I ask what you're doing in China? I mean since you put your location as China I wouldn't have thought you were on holiday? could be wrong...

19 years! jeez. I'm guessing you speak Chinese then? Do you get back to blighty much?

Not been back once, nothing against the place but I hate long flights, no smoking and all that. I went to Hong Kong in 94 to work on classic cars, mainly Benz and Rolls and was offered a job on the mainland, a job I could not say no to.

A bit of me envies you, but I think I'd miss the UK too much to leave for good. I didn't want to be posted in the UK when I was in the army because I knew when I left the army the chances are I would go back to the UK to live, as we did. Although if it wasn't for the wall coming down in 1989 we may have stayed in Germany...that's another story. As I'm sure you know there are quite a few ex military living in Canada and Australia, I even have a mate (Ex AT) who lives in Poland but you're the first I've heard of who settled in China, and after 19 years I guess you must like it.

^Ever since I was about 5 years old I had the urge to travel and after my army days the urge was even stronger, but having found China I feel at home and at peace for the first time in my life.

Do not misunderstand me, China is not everyone's cup of tea but it fits me. There are ex REME all over the globe, maybe it was something in the fuel that did it LOL.

Does anyone recognize this? Looks like this fella had three!
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Sorry it's sideways.

In certain pubs in Paderborn where we were well known (and trusted) we used to drink 'on the beermat' from the middle of the month until pay day, when you made good your debt. A very convenient way of 'maintaining one's social presence when one was temporarily financially embarrassed!'