Cone Top Beer Can Sample

Anyone into beer can collecting has probably heard the term cone top, but perhaps you are new to collecting and not sure what that means. Below are a few cone top beer can samples and some brief explanations.

These cans have a pointed top, or spout-like appearance and were capped like a soda bottle would be. A can opener (or bottle opener) were needed to pop the top and drink the beverage. They were introduced around 1935. There are four kinds of cone top cans. The tops or "cones" of the can is what make the biggest differences. Read more about the history of cone tops and the manufacturing contribution these cans had in beer can development.

The low profile cone top can was the first of this style. They had a flat bottom and you could see the shape of cone's bent steel, or the ribs, pointing outwards. A few years later the bottom was modified to be concave.
 

1930's Rainer "Low Profile" cone top beer can

 The J-Spout was right behind the low profile can in production. It was first manufactured in 1937. This design looked more like the traditional glass beer bottle necks and a few dozen brewing companies used this type of conetop. 

Dawson's Pale Ale J-Spout

By the time 1938 came around the American Can Co started manufacturing another type of cone top, the high profile can. This was a huge success. After the war, (World War II), this type of can became even more popular. It was to become the most widely used design.

Canadian Ale Brand Beer "High Profile" cone top

The last innovation in style for the cone top was the Crowntainer, designed and manufactured by a company known as Crown Cork & Seal. The company produced cans for nearly 100 different beer companies. CC&S was the only can company making this style. White and Silver color was very common, no matter what the beer brand. These cans were used up until about the middle 1950's.

London Bobby Ale Crowntainer Cone Top