Cone top beer can collector

..Welcome to Conetop.com, our 9th year on the web

	Low Profile

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High Profile	J-Spout	Crowntainer

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US cone top beer cans had their start in 1935 several months after the first flat top beer cans were introduced (see below for flats) and only a few years after prohibition had ended. Both large and small breweries designed their own graphics and then bought empty cans from one of a few can manufacturing companies with their label already painted on them. With cone top cans, individual the breweries then simply modified their bottling equipment to fill and cap the cans. The early major cone top can companies were: Continental Can Company, Crown Cork & Seal, and American Can Company.

Continental Can introduced the first cone top in 1935 now referred to as a low profile can. This can had a flat bottom and a spout top with inverted ribs on the cone. The first cans are therefore referred to as Flat Bottom Inverted rib (FBIR) cans (example). Continental next produced a Concave Bottom Raised Rib (CBRR) can (op, Milwaukee Club). It was identical in shape to the first cones and is still considered to be a "Low Profile" cone. So, FBIR and CBRR cans are both low profiles and the FBIR cans came first. Gradually from about 1940 to1945, Continental Can Company phased out production of their early low profile style can changing to their high profile can (Monarch above)

Crown Cork & Seal came out with their J-spout cone top beer cans in late 1937 (Kuebler above example) continuing the J-spout production until W.W. II. The very earliest J-spout labels had a flat bottom but the vast majority of labels had concave bottoms. Crown Cork & Seal also started producing their crowntainer cone top beer cans in January 1940 (Washington's above & example) and continued crowntainer production until the mid 1950's.

American Can Company jumped into the market and started producing cone top beer cans in 1938 using a high profile shape and continued to make high profile cans into the 1950's. The American Can Co. high profile cans initially had flat bottoms.

Site Directions

We hope you enjoy the premier cone top beer can site during our ninth year. There are about 100 cone tops pictured with a little history or description of each can. To get to the pictures and descriptions you have to click on the "list with picture links" below. To find a can start by matching up the shape as pictured above then scroll down and find the appropriate section below and click on a link. The site also features an estimate of the approximate year each different cone top beer can was produced.

About Us

I have been collecting cone top beer cans for about 35 years. In the past we have collected Wisconsin flats and cone top beer cans but since 1987 have concentrated mainly on US cone tops. Please feel free to ask me (pic) about the value of any cone top cans you might have. An estimate of the value of any cone top you may have is free, just send me a note. I have followed the hobby and cone prices now for over 30 years. If you have a can that is not pictured or has a "wanted poster" for the picture, we would be happy to hear from you before you sell. Contact us here. To see PONTIAC stuff click here

The Low Profiles Cone top cans by Continental Can Company

1935 List

1936 List

1937-42 List

The first cone top cans from Continental Can Company were called "Cap-Sealed Can". The early cans are known to hobbyists as Low Profile Cans. The initial production runs of these cans in the fall of 1935 were made with Flat Bottoms and Inverted Ribs (FBIR) shown on the far left. Then in the spring of 1936 they were made with Concave bottoms and Raised Ribs (CBRR) shown on the near left. Both FBIR's and CBRR's are considered "low Profile cans." These low profile cans were produced by Continental can up until the early 1940's.

Low Profile to High profile The Transition, by Continental Can Company

PreW.W.II (low Profile) and PostW.W.II (High Profile) matched can pair PICTURE list
Starting in 1940 and during WWII Continental can company changed from their low profile can (left example) to their high profile can (right example). The transition varied between breweries dependent on each brand . The transition occurred either just before, during, or after the war. There were a few olive drab low profile cans and several high profile olive drab cans produced during the war. Cans from breweries that started their transition before W.W.II i.e. (1940-2) can be identified by the early 1940's bulb. For the current "List of early 40's bulb Prewar Transition Cans" Click here . Continental Can Company then produced the high profile cans until the mid-50's.

The High Profiles by Continental Can Company

The rest of the High profiles: About 1946 up until the mid 1950's PICTURE LIST
From about 1946 until the 1950's Continental can company produced cone tops with a great variety of colorful and often artistic can labels. The can's shape remained the same during this period. This is the largest list of cone top cans. The cones produced before 1950 had the "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" (IRTP) phrase on them and the cans produced after 1950 did not have this IRTP phrase on them.

The J-spouts by Crown Cork & Seal

J-spout Can List with PICTURES

Crown Cork & Seal entered the market about 1937 with their J-spout can and produced it until early in WWII. The Standard (on the left) is an early "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" (IRTP) can. There were two J-spouts produced in olive drab with "Withdrawn Free of Internal Revenue Tax For Exportation" printed on them. Blatz is one, the other olive drab J-spout is Iroquois Beer

The Crowntainers by Crown Cork & Seal

Crowntainer beer can List with PICTURE links
In 1940 Crown Cork & Seal started making their cone top Crowntainer beer cans. From late 1939 until 1942 the basecoat color was metallic silver or bone. From about 1942 to 1946 the basecoat was light gray without any metallic or olive drab, and from about 1946 until the mid 1950s the basecoat was either metallic silver or bone white color. The early crowntainers will have a box on the side stating "CROWNTAINER REG'D U.S. PAT. OFF." After 1945 the box on the side states "CROWNTAINER REG. U.S. PAT. OFF NO. 366873 PATENT NO.2384810..."

American Can Company

American Can Co Can List

In 1938 American Can Company entered the market with their High spout (high profile) can. Initially these cans had high profile cones and flat bottoms. These flat bottom high profile cans were eventually changed to concave bottomed high profile cans until the early 1950's. They essentially look like the Continental Can Company's High profile cone top beer cans.

General Historical Perspective

During W.W.II there was a shortage of tin and can production and sales slowed considerably. Also, any tin cans (1935-1942 beer cans) laying around were collected during the W.W.II tin drives and recycled. Therefore fewer examples of the prewar cans are available. During W.W.II some beer cans were produced for the military. These cans have the statement "Withdrawn Free of Internal Revenue Tax for Exportation" and had to conform to an olive drab (OD) appearance. A few olive drab labels were made in low profile & J spouts early during WW2 but these types of cans were then discontinued during the war. Most of these war cans were exported out of the US and few are available to collectors. Crowntainers from 1943 to 1945 were either olive drab or a non-metallic light gray color. Post WW2 cans were either high profile cones or crowntainers. With very few exceptions, non-military cone top cans from the earliest cone until March of 1950 all had the statement "Internal Revenue Tax Paid" where as after that no tax statement was needed. Cone top cans became largely obsolete in the mid 1950’s.

The period staring just after W.W.II and ending in the mid 1950's represents a time when a large number of smaller breweries (and some larger ones as well) used cone tops. During this period, the increasing use of clear and translucent paints on the brightly plated tin cans led to a wide variety of beautiful and graphic cans.

Flats were the first beer cans to appear in early 1935. American Can initially produced cans for Krueger Cream Ale to test market in Virginia. After initial great success, other breweries signed on, notably Pabst in mid 1935. Most flat top cans in the 1930's had opening instructions and are known as Instructionals or an Instructional beer can.

And now for some fun....

Our original home page

Salute to Paul Bunyan

contact e-mail with "Beer Can" in subject

Jeff Steeno BCCA #28141

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