Instructions
Some Collectors will collect whatever Coasters they can find while other Collectors will only collect Coasters from specific breweries, regions or countries.
There are lots of good sources of finding Coasters or Beer Mats (as they are sometimes called) like Pubs, Bars, Hotels, Bottle Stores, Motels, Second Hand Dealers, Breweries, Restaurants, Whiskey Distillers, Wine Boutiques, Soda Bottlers as well as eBay.
One of the best ways to increase your collection is to join a Coaster Collecting Clubwhere you can trade Coasters, exchange information and meet other Collectors who share the same passion that you do on Coaster collecting.
Here are some Clubs to contact:
A single Coaster has been sold on eBay for $1425 and another sold for $1,120. Besides eBay, you could also look at Out of the Attic or Finks to get an idea of price values.
On Amazon you will find a book entitled 'A guide to Collecting Beer Mats by Ian Calvert. ISBN 0-9553297-0-1
Tom Byrne's US Coaster Guide is also highly recommended.
There are some online brewery directories such as BCCA US Brewery Guide and Beer Travelers.
For the location of Breweries, Bars and Pubs including Restaurants see Pubcrawler.
British Beermat Collectors Society
American Breweriana Association(ABA) http://www.americanbreweriana.org
German Breweriana Collectors Society http://www.fvb-bdm.de
You can get your collection off to a good start by buying 60 coasters from ABA Coaster Source for only $10.
If you look carefully, you can also find Coasters selling 5 for $1.