If a person is looking for a piece of Monroe County history, chances are Randy Huetsch either has it or knows where it can be found. 

Huetsch, a Waterloo native who coincidentally worked part-time for the Republic-Times during his high school and college days, is now known in collector circles as the “Antique Advertising Expert.” 

He earned the title through years of experience collecting historic memorabilia of various companies, both national and local. His reputation has also made him a sought-after appraiser of advertisement relics. 

He has items from around the country, but much of Huetsch’s collection consists of early 20th Century pieces from Monroe County and nearby locations such as Millstadt, Dupo and New Athens.

“My initial interest was just Monroe County, but quickly branched to the smaller towns around our area, including Randolph, and southern St Clair County,” Huetsch said. “I was never a big collector of towns like Belleville, East St. Louis, etc., as there are only so many items one can save.  However, I do have a bunch of items from those towns, and hundreds from St. Louis as well.”

A small sample of some of Huetsch’s local rarities include a tin serving tray for Foster’s Ice Cream-Waterloo circa 1915, a bottle from the Valmeyer Bottling Works advising customers to “Drink Cheney’s Beverages,” a 1920s metal sign for
Fred Husemann’s “Delicious Red Bud Soda Water,” a paper fan “compliments of J. Maeys Store No. 2”  and an advertisement for Fountain Creamery Butter. 

Huetsch’s journey into the world of collecting historical treasures began about 40 years ago when he found a soda bottle in a creek bed near his Waterloo home. 

He describes the bottle as “the earliest version of the Henry Schroeder soda bottles.”

According to Huetsch, Schroeder began his Waterloo business in 1912 when he bought out Charles Boeke, and then remained in business until 1959 when he sold to Carl Bode.

The business was located in the rear of the now-vacant lot just south of Sunset Motel in Waterloo. 

Since his first find, Huetsch has amassed over 100 different bottles of around 30 different design types originating in Monroe County. 

His earliest bottle is circa 1850 from a Waterloo company once owned by George DePuyt. He also has possession of bottles of the late 1800s and early 1900s from local bottlers including Henry Schuell, Henry Boeke, Charles Boeke, Henry Petri, John Gundlach and John Ruf, among others. He also has milk bottles from Waterloo Milk Company and Glendell Farms Dairy in Waterloo. 

While Huetsch’s interest in collecting began with bottles, he credits postcards for an increased fascination with local history.

“I have always loved history, but I always pinpoint my interest to one person: the late Gloria Bundy.  Gloria told me about postcards of the area after I showed her a grouping of 1880s store advertising cards I bought at an auction from the area with old general stores, mills (and other businesses) advertised on them,” Huetsch recalled. 

“She asked me if I had any local postcards, and the rest was history. I literally bought postcards at shows around the United States as my travels with work allowed me to get to places I would not normally have been able to see or buy.”

Huetsch is drawn to the way postcards of the past provided a way to share local landmarks and events outside of an area before the advent of modern mass communication.

In addition to his many business-related postcards, one of his unique non-advertisement cards features a photograph of the 1918 Waterloo High School girls basketball team. 

Besides bottles and postcards, Huetsch also collects business signs and promotional materials, old wooden and metal thermometers, posters and other advertising from local businesses which are no longer in existence.

“Most of my early collection was bought at local auctions. Eventually the internet started allowing me to pick up items across the country,” Huetsch explained. 

As his collection grew and he became well-known to other enthusiasts, Huetsch said he can rely on “simple word of mouth nowadays” to put him in touch with people who may have items of interest.

Not every piece in his custody was gained through simple financial transactions, though. 

Huetsch told the Republic-Times it took him five years to procure one significant article from Waterloo history. 

He discovered the sign by chance while at a fellow collector’s home in Belleville.

The sign reads, simply, “Drs. Wetmore and Adelsberger,” and was originally on the building of the practice of the two prominent Waterloo doctors who shared an office in the 1890s.

Huetsch said his collector friend found it by accident while looking for bottles which were commonly found in an area downstream from a bygone Waterloo bottling company. 

The sign was found in a muddy bank near the current location of the Monroe County Annex building in Waterloo. Huetsch said the doctors’ office was nearby and the sign likely was simply discarded, remaining in the earth until being discovered.

Huetsch said he made the collector several offers over the course of five years until he finally managed a trade acceptable to both parties.    

While he also occasionally sells pieces, Huetsch is not an antique dealer – he is a collector. 

Huetsch explained sometimes items he wants are sold only as part of collections. He then finds buyers interested in the other artifacts. Furthermore, in order to keep his collection manageable, he will sell an item if he finds an “upgrade” of an existing item.

Currently, Huetsch has found himself collecting “breweriana,” or articles containing the name of a brewery or beer brand.

“Postcards remain a favorite, as do old lithograph posters from former businesses in the area,” Huetsch said. “However, I have branched seriously into early pre-prohibition brewery collectibles from the St. Louis metro area, and consider that my main interest today.”

Whether it is bottles, postcards, signs or other miscellaneous advertising, Huetsch explained the work of a collector is never done, regardless of interest area.

“There are literally collectors for everything, and once you are a collector, most of us will die as collectors,” he said. “The interest in the hunt for the next item never ends for a true collector.”

Huetsch and his wife currently reside nearby on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River, but he  finds reasons to visit Monroe County often.

In addition to being from Waterloo, he says the area is unique in many regards and there’s always something new to discover – which is a collector’s dream.   

For more information about Huetsch and his collection, including pictures of historical Monroe County items, visit antiqueadvertisingexpert.com.