Can collecting
Can collecting is the hobby of collecting cans, both aluminum and tin plate cans. There are many types of cans that can be collected from around the world, each with many different brands as well as brand variations and themes. Among the most popular cans to collect are soda ones,[1] beer ones,[2] and car oil ones,[3] the latter of which are sometimes branded with well-known petrol company names.[4] Other cans that may be considered as collectibles are milk cans[5] coffee cans, syrup, salted peanuts, crayon and advertisement-oriented lithograph tins.[6]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Cans_Collection_at_Work_Office.jpeg/220px-Cans_Collection_at_Work_Office.jpeg)
Sometimes, supermarkets[7][8] and petrol companies have used cans as ways to advertise; these types of cans are also sought after by can collectors.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Oil_cans_in_Stoke_Ranch_%28detail%29.jpg/220px-Oil_cans_in_Stoke_Ranch_%28detail%29.jpg)
Can collecting can be exclusive to only one type of cans: for example, collectors may dedicate themselves to collecting beer, soda, food or oil cans only. But collectors may also dedicate themselves to collecting cans from all types.
History
While it is difficult to pinpoint when people started collecting cans as a hobby, it is estimated by some that the first beer can collections began around 1935. It is also estimated that one of the first beer can collections was begun by a group of Yale University students and was later kept by one of those students.[9]
Royal Crown Cola started selling their products in "non-returnable" cans in the United States during the 1950s; their competitors Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola seemed reluctant to use cans at first during that era as their sodas were sold most commonly on glass bottles. Still, Coca-Cola decided to export sodas in cans to Asia, particularly Japan and some other countries across the Pacific rim, with Pepsi soon following suit. By 1960, approximately 40 different soda brands sold sodas in about 820 million cans every year in the United States alone. Some experts believe this was when soda cans became collectible items.[10]
Variations
There are many types of variations that make cans collectible. These include cans advertising celebrities,[11] sports teams,[12] new film releases, musical tours, and other international events such as the Olympic Games,[13] countries, ideals and other companies and brands that are not related to the industry the can represents.
Also, many times, brands that operate internationally offer cans in different languages or with other variations, depending on the regions in which they operate; these cans are also considered valuable collectable items by some collectors.[14] During the 1980s, Coca-Cola launched a series of cans commemorating the countries in which that brand was sold; many collectors also consider those as collectibles.
Cans can come in different sizes;[15] soda cans can be given or bought in small (sometimes called "mini") sizes, given typically to patients and visitors at hospitals and sometimes to passengers at commercial airline flights, while, on the other hand, petrol companies have sometimes sold very large oil cans.[16] The size of the can can also drive its value among can collectors and their desire to obtain the item.
Values
There are some online pages that keep track of collectable cans' values.[17]
Records
Davide Andreani of Italy is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most extensive collection of soda cans of one specific brand in the world, with over 20,000 Coca-Cola cans in his collection (he, however, also owns cans of other brands, so he does not have the record for the largest exclusive Coca-Cola can collection, as explained below).[18] According to a website named canmuseum.com, the largest collection of Pepsi Cola cans belongs to Chris Cavaletti, also of Italy, who owned 12,402 Pepsi Cola cans from 81 countries as of 2022, while the largest exclusive collection of Coca-Cola soda cans belonged to Gary Feng of Canada with 11,308 variations of the Coca-Cola cans from 108 countries collected, with William B. Christensen of the United States owning the largest collection of beer cans with 75,000 from 125 countries and Allan Green, of the United States also, with the largest collection of wine cans, at 449.[18]
References
- ^ "Soda Can Collecting". collectiblesodacans.com.
- ^ "Beer Cans : The Complete Reference Guide". www.ebeercans.com.
- ^ Rinker, Harry. "Oil cans". WorthPoint.
- ^ "Vintage and Antique Oil Cans | Collectors Weekly". www.collectorsweekly.com.
- ^ https://www.antiquetrader.com/antiques/celebrate-milk-cans-as-collectibles
- ^ "Antique and Vintage Advertising Tins | Collectors Weekly". www.collectorsweekly.com.
- ^ "Pueblo Orange Soda – Arts Beer Cans". July 5, 2022.
- ^ https://www.canmuseum.com/Search.aspx?SearchType=A
- ^ "Collecting Beer Cans". www.rustycans.com.
- ^ "Old Soda Cans | Rare Pop Can Collector – Buy or Sell Here!". Steel Canvas.
- ^ "Michael Jackson to Appear on Pepsi Cans | Michael jackson bad, Michael jackson images, Pepsi". Pinterest.
- ^ "Pepsi Is All In on Football Season With New Ads and Tailgate Tour". www.adweek.com.
- ^ "Vintage Budweiser Olympic Games Beer Cans The Olympics lot Brewerania | #3889744438". Worthpoint.
- ^ "20 Ways to Collect and Display Souvenirs". December 22, 2016.
- ^ "Sizes of cans". www.sizes.com.
- ^ "Large 1930's Texaco Oil five gallon restored bulk gas/oil can – Barrett-Jackson Auction Company – World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions". www.barrett-jackson.com.
- ^ "Antique Cans Price Guide and Appraisal Guide: Value of Antique Cans". www.iguide.net.
- ^ a b "Collectors". www.canmuseum.com.
External links
- A collectable cans museum and database with pictures
- v
- t
- e
topics
- Active packaging
- Child-resistant packaging
- Contract packager
- Edible packaging
- Modified atmosphere/modified humidity packaging
- Overpackaging
- Package delivery
- Package pilferage
- Package testing
- Package theft
- Packaging engineering
- Resealable packaging
- Reusable packaging
- Reuse of bottles
- Shelf life
- Shelf-ready packaging
- Shelf-stable
- Sustainable packaging
- Tamper-evident
- Tamper resistance
- Wrap rage
packages
- Alternative wine closure
- Ammunition box
- Banana box
- Beer bottle
- Box wine
- Case-ready meat
- Coffee bag
- Cosmetic packaging
- Currency packaging
- Disposable food packaging
- Drink can
- Egg carton
- Evidence packaging
- Field ration
- Flour sack
- Foam food container
- Food packaging
- Fuel container
- Gas cylinder
- Glass milk bottle
- Growler
- Juicebox
- Low plastic water bottle
- Luxury packaging
- Milk bag
- Optical disc packaging
- Oyster pail
- Popcorn bag
- Pharmaceutical packaging
- Plastic milk container
- Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags
- Sand bag
- Seasonal packaging
- Self-heating food packaging
- Screw cap (wine)
- Single-serve coffee container
- Spray paint
- Toothpaste pump dispenser
- Water bottle
- Wine bottle
- Aerosol spray dispenser
- Aluminium bottle
- Aluminum can
- Ampoule
- Antistatic bag
- Bag-in-box
- Bag
- Barrel
- Biodegradable bag
- Blister pack
- Boil-in-bag
- Bottle
- Box
- Bulk box
- Cage
- Case
- Carboy
- Carton
- Chub
- Clamshell
- Corrugated box design
- Crate
- Disposable cup
- Drum
- Endcap
- Envelope
- Euro container
- Flexible intermediate bulk container
- Flexi-bag
- Folding carton
- Glass bottle
- Gunny sack
- Inhaler
- Insulated shipping container
- Intermediate bulk container
- Jar
- Jerrycan
- Jug
- Keg
- Mesh bag
- Multilayered packaging
- Multi-pack
- Packet (container)
- Padded envelope
- Pail
- Paper bag
- Paper sack
- Plastic bag
- Plastic bottle
- Retort pouch
- Salvage drum
- Sachet
- Security bag
- Shipping container
- Shipping tube
- Skin pack
- Spray bottle
- Squround
- Stand-up pouch
- Steel and tin cans
- Tetra Brik
- Thermal bag
- Tub (container)
- Tube
- Unit load
- Vial
- Wooden box
and
components
- Adhesive
- Aluminium foil
- Bail handle
- Bioplastic
- Biodegradable plastic
- BoPET
- Bubble wrap
- Bung
- Cellophane
- Closure
- Coated paper
- Coating
- Coextrusion
- Corrugated fiberboard
- Corrugated plastic
- Cushioning
- Desiccant
- Double seam
- Flip-top
- Foam peanut
- Gel pack
- Glass
- Hot-melt adhesive
- Humidity indicator card
- Kraft paper
- Label
- Lid
- Linear low-density polyethylene
- Liquid packaging board
- Living hinge
- Low-density polyethylene
- Meat diaper
- Metallised film
- Modified atmosphere
- Molded pulp
- Nonwoven fabric
- Overwrap
- Oxygen scavenger
- Package handle
- Packaging gas
- Pallet
- Paper
- Paper pallet
- Paperboard
- Plastic-coated paper
- Plastic film
- Plastic pallet
- Plastic wrap
- Polyester
- Polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Pressure-sensitive tape
- Pump dispenser
- Screw cap
- Screw cap (wine)
- Security printing
- Security tape
- Shock detector
- Shock and vibration data logger
- Shrink wrap
- Slip sheet
- Staple (fastener)
- Strapping
- Stretch wrap
- Susceptor
- Tamper-evident band
- Tear tape
- Temperature data logger
- Time temperature indicator
- Tinplate
- Velostat
- Aseptic processing
- Authentication
- Automatic identification and data capture
- Blow fill seal
- Blow molding
- Calendering
- Canning
- Coating
- Containerization
- Converting
- Corona treatment
- Curtain coating
- Die cutting
- Die forming (plastics)
- Electronic article surveillance
- Extrusion
- Extrusion coating
- Flame treatment
- Glass production
- Graphic design
- Hazard analysis and critical control points
- Hermetic seal
- Induction sealing
- Injection moulding
- Lamination
- Laser cutting
- Molding
- Package tracking
- Papermaking
- Plastic extrusion
- Plastic welding
- Printing
- Product development
- Production control
- Quality assurance
- Radio-frequency identification
- Roll slitting
- Shearing (manufacturing)
- Thermoforming
- Track and trace
- Ultrasonic welding
- Vacuum forming
- Vacuum packaging
- Verification and validation
- Barcode printer
- Barcode reader
- Bottling line
- Calender
- Can seamer
- Cap torque tester
- Cartoning machine
- Case sealer
- Check weigher
- Conveyor system
- Drum pump
- Extended core stretch wrapper
- Filler
- Heat gun
- Heat sealer
- Industrial robot
- Injection molding machine
- Label printer applicator
- Lineshaft roller conveyor
- Logistics automation
- Material-handling equipment
- Mechanical brake stretch wrapper
- Multihead weigher
- Orbital stretch wrapper
- Packaging machinery
- Pallet inverter
- Palletizer
- Rotary wheel blow molding systems
- Seed-counting machine
- Shrink tunnel
- Staple gun
- Tape dispenser
- Turntable stretch wrapper
- Vertical form fill sealing machine
post-use
- Biodegradation
- Can collecting
- Closed-loop box reuse
- Environmental engineering
- Glass recycling
- Industrial ecology
- Life-cycle assessment
- Litter
- Packaging waste
- Paper recycling
- PET bottle recycling
- Plastic recycling
- Recycling
- Reusable packaging
- Reverse logistics
- Source reduction
- Sustainable packaging
- Waste management
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/96/Symbol_category_class.svg/16px-Symbol_category_class.svg.png)