It was 1976 when seventh grader Joe Boyle embarked on a hobby that he’s still involved in today. It started when he began noticing at family parties and picnics that numerous beer cans were laying around.
Everyone had a favorite brand,? he told an interested audience at a recent Orion Historical Coffee Club gathering. He started picking up some of the empties and saving them.
Living in Connecticut, Boyle also found beer cans along the side of the road, which in those days was a ‘natural thing.?
Now in his basement at his home in Lake Orion, Boyle has shelves of the colorful containers — close to 3,000 cans (arranged in alphabetical order). The cans displaced his wife’s Barbie doll collection.
‘There are collections much larger, and in terms of quality, mine’s not the best,? Boyle said.
One time he visited a man in Virginia who owned a collection of 9,000 cans. Boyle said he didn’t see that one, but instead got a glimpse of the man’s storage shed which was full of another 14,000 cans.
According to Boyle, the first beer can (Krueger Beer and Ale Company) was test marketed in Richmond, Virginia in 1935.
Since then, the cans have had three distinctive styles. The first, a cone top ( cap sealed), lasted from 1935 until the 1950s. Flat tops (which required a can opener) were around from 1935 until the early seventies. Currently beer drinkers enjoy aluminum cans with pull tops.
The best way to obtain collector cans is through E-Bay and trade sessions. ‘Trade sessions are still very, very popular,? Boyle said. ‘Family and friends, who know you’re collecting, will keep an eye out (for cans) for you.?
Beer cans can still be found outside. Boyle found out the areas where ‘no dumping? signs are placed are typically the most rewarding.
Other favorite outside spots for Boyle include family dumps and barns, parks, camping sites, lovers? lanes and roadside dumps.
‘Although, these cans will be older and not in the best of shape,? he added. ‘But it is amazing how many cans there are out there on the side of the road.?
Cans found inside obviously will be in better condition. Cans have been discovered in walls, attics and basements of older homes being remodeled.
Boyle recently read in a magazine that one beer can sold for $19,000.
A collector’s shelves might feature beer cans from different areas (Pittsburgh, for example,), a variety of brands, steel olive drab color cans shipped overseas during World War II, out of country beer, and ones made for the US Bicentennial in 1976. Cans were also produced in sets for events like the Kentucky Derby or for specific breweries.
Boyle’s most valuable set are seven cans of Miss Rheingold made in 1957. Each can featured a different candidate vying for the Miss Rheingold title. The set’s valued between $4,000-$5,000.
Contrary to other collection items, mistake cans are not very valuable. ‘Neither is Billy Beer,? Boyle said. ‘And I don’t place any more value on a full can of beer rather than an empty one.?
Boyle belongs to the Beer Can Collectors of America Club, which has 15,000 active members. The club’s annual convention takes place every Labor Day weekend. Dearborn hosts the convention in 2004.
The Orion History Coffee Club meets the fourth Friday of every month, 11 a.m. at Orion Township Library.