Old beer cans - including OD (olive drab WW2 cans)

As you can tell from my username, I am a collector of beer cans. Specifically - I collect US 12 ounce cans from 1935 through the 1960s. We find them with detectors, and we find them just by looking for big dumps. If you run across old cans on your digs, please grab a few and let me know what you've got. I'm happy to tell you if you have found trash or treasure. Also, don't get too scared off by some rust or dents; cans can often be cleaned up with oxalic acid. I always bring home a bunch of "mystery" cans when I'm digging, and then clean them up and see what I've got.

Here's some samples of cans I've got in my collection and trade stock:


Posted on: January 25, 2014, 08:00:26 pm

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Posted on: January 25, 2014, 08:02:12 pm

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Not sure what order those pics will be in, but here's a little info on each:
1. Budweiser OD can from WW2. Tough can to find in good shape.
2. Class Pilsner can from the 1930s. Only 3 examples known.
3. Duquesne Can-O-Beer. This is a cone top can from the 1940s.
4. Schmidt's Beer. This one is a crowntainer and also from the 40s.
5. Esslinger's Beer. I love the graphics on this can! FYI this can and many of the others shown here have instructions on the can showing how to open it! Canned beer was a new invention.
6. Fort Pitt Beer. Another favorite because of the graphics.
7. Krueger's Cream Ale, Krueger Bock Beer, and Krueger's Beer. These all come from the first brewer to put beer into cans - the G. Krueger Brewing Company
8. Miller OD WW2 can. I got this can from the soldier who it was issued to (1945) in the Phillipines. It was the only known example at the time, but since I got it another one surfaced.
9. Probably can't read this, but it is a letter that Private Anderson sent me to accompany the Miller beer can! I value it almost as highly as the can itself.
10. A lineup of 6 of my olive drab WW2 beer cans.
11. Even the lids were made olive drab. Why? Because a shiny beer can lid might reflect sunlight and alert the enemy.
12. Pabst OD WW2 can. Yes, Pabst Blue Ribbon went to the troops.
13. The cans here were all made for export from the US to other locations, probably military installations or possibly even sold stateside at PX. Identified by the "Withdrawn Free of Internal Revenue Taxes" statement (the standard statement for cans sold from 1935 through 1950 was "Internal Revenue Tax Paid")

Hope you enjoyed this!

Beercanman (Steve)


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Wow!  You have some nice looking beer cans in your collection, BCM!         Nice!  Thanks for showing them to us.   

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ArfieBoy

Cool cans BCM, that can of Duguesne can o beer looks like it could be a poison bottle.

 

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Xavier

Nice collection.   Haven't found too many beer cans from WWII, but I have found a whole bunch of bottle caps ---some of which are still legible (few and far between).

Thanks for posting these pictures.

BA

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