The practice of selling beer by the can coincided with the end of Prohibition in 1933. Anticipating, perhaps, a change in the political climate, American Can Company had a flat-topped steel beer can ready to go, but it had to offer to install its canning line for free before a Newark, New Jersey, brewer named Krueger would agree to package its beer in cans. In fact, Krueger was so worried its customers would reject beer in cans that it didn’t launch its new product until 1935, and chose Richmond, Virginia, as its test market. Richmond was deemed far enough away from headquarters not to hurt the brewer’s reputation if the cans were crushed by the bottled competition.
Canned beer, though, was an immediate hit, prompting National Can and Continental Can to tool up that same year. National’s first customer was Northampton, which canned its Tru-Blu brands in flat-top cans. National canned beer for numerous other small brewers, too, from Red Top in Cincinnati to King’s Brewing in Brooklyn. American Can landed big national accounts like Anheuser-Busch (maker of Budweiser), Pabst, and Ballantine. Continental was famous for the cone-topped cans it produced for Schlitz.
Cone-top cans appealed to customers because they were easy to pour, and they were popular with brewers because the cans could be slotted into existing bottling lines. There were ...
Flat tops were simpler to make and cheaper to ship than cone tops—in the end, that won the day. Because flat-top cans were ubiquitous compared to cone-top cans, which had all but disappeared by the end of the 1950s, cone tops are generally more sought after by collectors.
Another subset of beer-can collecting focuses on cans made during World War II. All beer sent to the military, which was supposed to account for 15 percent of each brewer’s output, had less alcohol in it than beer brewed for domestic consumption (3.2 percent versus 4-to-7 percent). That’s one differentiator to look for when trying to date a potential war-era can, which should also have a statement on it that reads, "Withdrawn Free of Internal Revenue Tax for Exportation." By 1944, the domestic labels used for canned military-bound beer were replaced with olive-drab packaging, which makes these cans even easier to identify.
In the postwar years, all flat-top cans had to be opened manually with a church key. In 1960, Burger Brewing of Cincinnati introduced a steel can with an aluminum lid to make this task easier for consumers. But the major change in beer cans occurred in 1962, when Pittsburgh’s Iron City Brewing canned its beer in Alcoa-made zip-top cans. Over the next two years, numerous different types of zip-top cans would be introduced, some with no instructions on the can’s tops, others with sharp edges on the tab itself, and a few that left an opening in the top of the can that collectors refer to as a dogbone for its shape. Schiltz called its zip tops "pop tops." Call them what you like, but these small, sharp strips of metal littered beaches and parks until 1975, when they were replaced by stay tabs.
Interviews & Articles
The Beer Can That Brought Them to Tears

As a sixth grader assembling my can collection from the ditches of Minnesota, I found a book showing all the elusive rarities in t… [more]
Vintage Beer Boxes and Why Recycling Pays

Since no one has ever knocked on my door offering me old beer stuff, I make no secret of my collecting passion. As it turns out, h… [more]
Beer Steins, From Stoneware to Faience

I’ve been a beer stein collector for about 25 years. About 10 years ago I sold my business, a specialty database provider. At that… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Rustycans.com

What could be better than a beautifully rusted antique beer can? How about Mark Benbow’s handsome RustyCans.com w… [read review or visit site]
Red Fox Chapter

The guys at the Connecticut Chapter of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America have created a full-on tribute to t… [read review or visit site]
Bottle Cap Index

Assembled by Gunther Rademacher with the help of several other contributors, this collection of over half a million… [read review or visit site]
British Beer Labels

This pre-1965 collection is organized alphabetically by brand and contains scans of seemingly thousands of beautif… [read review or visit site]
Plopsite.de

Norbert Lamping's collection of 600+ ceramic bottle stoppers, Hutter stoppers, swingtops, swivel stoppers, and ligh… [read review or visit site]
Bock Beer Labels

A quick tour of pre-Prohibition bock beer label designs with nice, high resolution scans. Do the whole slide show o… [read review or visit site]
Trappist Beers and Monks

An interesting site dedicated to Trappist beers and the history of the development of beer brewed by Trappist Bened… [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations
- Red Fox Chapter
- American Breweriana Association
- Brewery Collectibles Club of America
- National Association Breweriana Advertising
Other Great Reference Sites
Top eBay Auctions
Recent News: Beer Cans
Source: Google News
Knoxville Craft Beer Week 2013: Bigger and Frothier
Knoxville Metro Pulse, June 19thFood and beer will pair together as proudly as any wine dinner can promise, especially when Chef Drew McDonald of the Plaid Apron undertakes the challenge of pairing six courses with vintage beer offerings from the Brooklyn Brewery. The Grill at ...Read more
Helaine A. Gorton, 72
Oswego Daily News, June 17thShe was a member of the East Coast Breweriana and the American Breweriana. Mrs. Gorton was an avid collector. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Jeffery Gorton of Fulton; three sons: Michael Gorton of Fulton, David (Kim) Gorton of Volney and ...Read more
Your Father's Day Shopping Guide (HURRY!)
Houston Press (blog), June 14thIf he served in the armed forces, maybe a cool print or some vintage binoculars; if he is a cocktail lover, a set of vintage tumblers or some antique beer steins would be appropriate. If your dad is a bookworm, a first edition of his favorite book...Read more
Sound Check: Rock and roll can be backbreaking work, literally
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, June 13thIt was then he realized the potential danger of his position and started to climb back down, stopping to pick up his guitar part from the shelves of antique beer cans and memorabilia behind the stage. “I didn't feel like I was that high,” King said. “I...Read more
Puss in Boots Fortune-Teller fulfills its prophecy of success, sells for ...
Art Daily, June 13thAn 8-piece Coca-Cola prototype window display depicting Rip Van Winkle and the Jolly Elves “pausing for refreshment” was bid to $7,800 against an estimate of $3,000-$4,000. In the breweriana section, a 1900-1910 framed poster advertising Lorelei Beer...Read more
UMSL students learn through Jubilee Brew
UMSL Daily (blog), June 12thNowell said he's learned a lot from the project, especially in working directly with printers in order to see his design come to fruition as Ferguson breweriana. He also enjoyed the experience as a craft beer fan who's fond of the Schlafly brand and...Read more
Vintage Beer Dinner With Dogfish Head at Fork
Zagat (blog), June 3rdTwo of our favorite things are coming together for a special Philly Beer Week pairing dinner on Wednesday, June 5. Make that three of our favorite things, because in addition to special vintage brews from Dogfish Head and excellent food from Eli Kulp...Read more
Asselmeier May Anheuser Busch Breweriana Auction 6 1 2013
News-Antique.com (press release), May 23rdIncluding St. Louis Cardinal 2006 World Series Champions, Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Bavarian, Michelob, Ultra & Light, American Ale, Rolling Rock, Lite, Etc. Collection of Lights, Clocks, Signs & Trays: Includes Budweiser, Busch Bavarian Lighted...Read more
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Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts
Our Dad, the Water Witch of Wyoming
This 1959 Goggomobil Is Insanely Cute and Gets 55 MPG. Why Can’t Detroit Do That?
California Cool: How the Wetsuit Became the Surfer's Second Skin
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