Pete Loerke has collected Brewers items for decades, including a County Stadium seat and a 1957 World Series ticket

DEFOREST, Wis. (WMTV) - Pete Loerke has turned his basement into a collection of Milwaukee Brewers memorabilia spanning decades.

“I don’t know if I’m the biggest (fan) but probably one of the biggest, yeah,” Loerke said.

Loerke has been a Brewers fan since his childhood.

“In the early 1970s, the first game I remember going to out at County Stadium. I was a cub scout,” he said.

Collection includes items from the 1950s

Loerke’s basement bar includes items from the 1982 Brewers team.

Over the last couple of decades, Loerke has collected Brewers hats, signed bobbleheads, old ticket stubs, pennants and even a stadium chair.

“Oh yeah this is one of the old County Stadium seats,” he said.

Others have contributed items to the collection over the years through gifts, eBay purchases and garage sale finds. “Just things I’ve been lucky enough to get along the way,” Loerke said.

Some items date back to the 1950s. “That was for the 1957 World Series Game 3. $2 for a bleacher seat,” Loerke said.

Watching the Brewers clinch the pennant

Loerke said his favorite memory in the bar happened last week, when the Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“That’s definitely my favorite moment down here. My family was down here and we’ve had friends down here watching games and stuff but yeah that was the best seeing that win and knowing we were finally going back to the World Series,” Loerke said. “It’s really something special to see your team go all the way and be a part of it.”

Loerke said one thing is still missing from his collection.

“I mean I’d like to get a couple World Series victory pieces in my bar in a couple weeks so that would be nice,” he said.

The Milwaukee Brewers will take on the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field for Game 1 of the World Series on Friday at 7 p.m.