Paul Lukas’s Collection of Tap Handles

The tap handles used to dispense draft beer in bars and restaurants serve three functions: First, they let the customers see which brands of beer are available. Second, they serve as a branding opportunity for the breweries. And of course they need to function effectively as handles.

Like anything else, tap handles have undergone a design evolution over the years. These days they tend to be long and thin, almost phallic. Back in the 1970s and ’80s, they were often made of Lucite. But my favorite period — and the focus of my small tap handle collection — is the 1950s, when many breweries favored compact, chrome-plated handles. These are typically known in breweriana circles as “ball knobs.”

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I’d never seen or known about ball knobs until the late 1990s, when I got hooked on eBay and began poking around on the site, learning about all sorts of artifacts I’d never been aware of. I love shiny graphics and industrial doodads, and ball knobs were an irresistible combination of the two. But they’re pricy, especially given how small they are — they usually go for at least $75 apiece, and often significantly more than that — so I’ve kept my collection small.