Scarcity Guide

Multiple people (including my dad) have asked what the definitions are for the terms that I use for scarcity descriptions. I have used the terms "scarce", "very rare", "rare", "uncommon", and "common", but what does that really mean?  This is more difficult to explain than it appears, because the rarity has been my subjective definition. In my "Welcome to Amazing Tap Handles" post, I describe some of the factors that can make a tap scarce, but there aren't really any hard and fast rules - it's more of a kind of "feeling" I have, based on 20 years of collecting. In a few cases I have some clues or second hand information about production run numbers, and much of it is based on secondary market data, but it's really an arbitrary system.

I've decided to remove the previous rarity ratings of common through scarce, and in place of those vague one word categories, I'm going to use more descriptive terms that allow the reader to decide how rare the tap is. Price will not be a factor in determining rarity. The descriptive terms are defined as follows...




10 or Less: I've seen 10 or less of the tap on the secondary market. Taps with chips, breaks, or missing labels (where labels would add to the value) are typically not counted. Examples would be Charleston Lagerhead Lager or Chameleon Fire Light. If you want to get one, it will be hard to find and could be years before you see one.

50 or Less: same description as 10 or less, except I've seen more than 10 but less than 50 on the secondary market. Examples would be Harbor Barrel or Coors rattlesnake. These can still be hard to find but if you want one the wait will be shorter than the 10 or Less category. 

Readily Available:  the tap appears regularly on the secondary market (on average), or it is available through other means. Examples would be Newcastle Bombshell or Sea Dog.

Brewery Closed:  the brewery that the tap belongs to is no longer in business. Examples would be Catamount or Panther Brewing. An out of business brewery can mean their taps are harder to find, although that is not true for every case.

Small Scale:  a very small brewery that would order only a few taps, or might not even have a physical location and use contract brewing to produce their beer. Or the tap could be for a beer contract brewed for a restaurant or brewpub. Examples would be Jonas Bronck's or Roadhouse peanut. These taps can be hard to find due to the low production numbers, although again this is not true for every case.

Beer Retired:  the beer that the tap belongs to is no longer produced by the brewery. Examples would be Hussong's Dark or Weinhard's Red. This may or may not affect scarcity depending on how many taps were produced for the beer before it was retired; at the very least it means taps will no longer be produced unless the brewery wants them for merchandising/fundraising.

Tap No Longer Produced: this can be because the beer was retired, or the brewery may still be making the beer but decide to switch to a less costly or more desirable tap. If the number of taps produced was small, this could make the tap harder to find than one that is also a small run but is still being produced.

Limited Release: the beer that the tap belongs to, or the tap itself, was only made for a limited time. Examples would be CB Craft Brewers Caged Alpha Monkey or Samuel Adams Grumpy Monk. Typically it makes the tap a little harder to find but not by a significant amount.

Seasonal:  the beer that the tap belongs to is a seasonal release that is served once a year. Examples would be Widmer Brrr Winter Ale or Blue Point Blueberry Ale. Seasonal taps are usually less numerous since they are not produced year-round, but if the beer and tap are brought back each season, they should be more numerous and easier to find.

Special Event:  the beer that the tap belongs to was brewed for a special event. It might mean that the tap was created for a special event, but once the event is over the tap is no longer used, even if the beer is still in production. Examples would be Yards Franklin or Mule Kick. These are usually some of the hardest taps to acquire.

Import: either the beer the tap belongs to is imported into the U.S. from another country, or the beer is not imported and the tap is not expected to be found in the U.S. without someone making an effort to get it there. Examples would be Cucapa Chupacabra or Lederer Premium Pils. While you'd expect an imported tap to be harder to find than a domestic, popular brands like Guinness or Modelo might have taps made in greater numbers.

Hand-made:  the tap is molded and painted by hand, carved from wood, or crafted from metal. This naturally limits the number that can be produced. Examples would be Steam Whistle or Roots.

Fragile:  the tap has parts that can break off easily. It may also use materials that are be more easily damaged than standard tap materials, such as glass or thin acrylic. Examples would be Moose Drool and Jose Cuervo Margarita. This can impact scarcity if you are looking for a tap in good condition but can only find damaged ones.

Prototype: the tap was created to conceptualize an idea or to give a client some options to choose from, but was never put into production. Usually only one or a few are made. No current examples. Like the Special Event category, these are going to be among the hardest taps to find.

I'm calling this my "Scarcity Guide", which appears as a separate page on the site. There will be a link in the sidebar that opens up this page.

It will take me some time to update my previous posts. I'll start with current taps and work my way backwards...