Tour de France, 1962 Bar Tray – LARGE

From the early 1950s through the late 1970s, beer and spirit companies plied the bars of France with Tour de France-inspired metal beer trays.  Two sizes were typical, one that transported two glasses of frosty happiness, the other designed more for a group of fans ready to enjoy the whole day.  The trays were ephemeral, here today and gone tomorrow.  With each passing year, these once abundant trays become harder to find.

The 1962 Tour de France was won by Jacques Anquetil of the Saint-Raphaël–Helyett–Hutchinson team, defending his title to win his third Tour de France. Jef Planckaert (Flandria–Faema–Clément) placed second, 4 min 59 s in arrears, and Raymond Poulidor (Mercier–BP–Hutchinson) was third, over ten minutes behind Anquetil.

The 1962 Tour was an exciting battle with Anquetil’s teammate Rudi Altig taking the first general classification leader’s yellow jersey after winning the first stage. He lost it the following day to André Darrigade of Gitane–Leroux–Dunlop–R. Geminiani, who won stage 2a, before regaining it after winning stage three. The lead was taken by Saint-Raphaël rider Albertus Geldermans after stage six. He held it for two stages before Darrigade took it back for the next two. Flandria rider Willy Schroeders then led the race between the end of stage nine to the end of eleven, at which point Schroeders’ teammate Rik Van Looy, a major pre-race favorite, abandoned the race with an injury. The following day, British rider Tom Simpson (Gitane–Leroux) became the first rider from outside mainland Europe in history to wear the yellow jersey. He lost it to Planckaert after stage thirteen’s individual time trial to Superbagnères in the Pyrenees. He held the lead for seven stages, which included the Alps. Anquetil’s victory in the individual time trial of stage twenty put him in the yellow jersey, which he held until the conclusion of the race.

Tray Size: 14.75 inches  (37.5 cm)

Note: This tray does have some scratches, paint bubbles, and spots of worn off paint.  A previous owner hand inscribed the year, 1962, in ink below the map. It is a one of a kind item, please look carefully at the photos to determine condition.