Click Here for a 28 x 32 inch poster size picture 1.6 MB
 |
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Welcome to Conetop.com, our 7th year on the web 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 (Tahoe, far left). 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 (Red Wing left center & example). Crown Cork & Seal came out with their J-spout cone top beer cans in late 1937 (Supreme right center & 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 right & 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 seventh year. There are about 400 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. My wife joined in the collecting about 20 years ago. 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 20 years. We are private collectors and not dealers so if you have any cans to sell we are likely to make you a very good offer. 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 1937-42 List with PICTURE links 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)
matchedcan
pair PICTURE list
The High Profiles by Continental Can Company
The rest of the High profiles: About 1946 up until the mid
1950's PICTURE LIST . 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 . American Can Company
In 1938 American
Can Company entered the market with their High spout ( .. 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....
contact e-mail with "Beer Can" in subject Copyright JPS 1999-2006. All rights reserved. Jeff Steeno BCCA #28141 . ... |
||||||||||||
