A Small Addition to the Collection

This week I acquired the complete set of four Kool-Aid Sparklers 7.5 oz cans.  There's nothing special or rare about them.  I'm just glad that for once I have ALL of the cans of a series, no matter how small the set is.

These are carbonated versions of Kool-Aid in the common flavors of cherry, grape, orange, and tropical punch.

As a small bonus, this 7.5 oz can of Country Time Sparkling strawberry lemonade also found its way to me.

It's always nice to make a little progress with the collection.

Orange Vanilla Coke

One of my contacts at church brought a couple of cans to me last Sunday.  These are the Orange Vanilla Coke cans.  

These are empty, but he said he'd also bring a full one of each one of these weeks so I can try them. 

One flavor is regular Coca-Cola and the other is Coke Zero.  He preferred the regular one while his wife preferred the Coke Zero version.

The Bible talks about "...my cup overflows."  I wonder if the same goes for cans overflowing.

Where Have They Gone?

It takes work to maintain a website or a blog.  Even just the small posts I write each week can feel like a second job when the week's been crazy.  I've often sat down to relax for a few minutes on the weekend only to realize I hadn't written a can post yet.  So then it's up to find some cans and figure out what to write about.

Early on as my collection grew, I started finding helpful websites full of can images and information.  There were other collectors' blogs showing their cans and telling their stories.  There were clubs, forums, and marketplaces.  I had really jumped into a fun and active hobby.  And I have a folder full of dozens of those websites that I'd visit every week.

A few days ago I found that folder of bookmarks.  I decided to walk down memory lane and visit some of the websites that were instrumental in building my collection and blog and see how they're doing.  More than half of them don't even exist any more.  That was a pretty sad discovery.  There could be just as many, or even more, newer sites out there, but for this post I decided to write about some of the ones I'll miss.

USA Soda
This site was invaluable in finding variations of cans and dates.  At one point the site was down, so I emailed John, the owner, and soon the site was back up.  But now there's a big "Retired" across the front page and none of the image links work.

CanPedia
This was a site similar to CanMuseum, which is still alive and strong.  I dated a lot of cans using the CanPedia, but it currently gives a 500 (Internal Service) Error.

Cans in the Basement
A fellow collector told his story of keeping his cans in the basement.  I enjoyed reading the entries and missed the news/stories after the last post on May 1, 2015.  But I totally understand that life and interests change.

Collecting Soda Cans
This was another blog I enjoyed following.  Its last post was made on October 2, 2014.

rft3
This was a cool blog because it not only covered cans, but it was all about design.  There were interesting cans, signs, etc.  If I remember correctly, he was a bit of a traveler.  I remember seeing sites of other cities featured.

Diamond Coke Cans
To be honest, I barely remember this site, but I know I really liked it at one time because it's in my folder.  Now it's just an internet dead-end.

Larwood Limited
This site was dedicated to antique beer cans and collecting.  I only collect soda cans, but at one time I thought it was useful and neat enough to save it in my bookmarks.

A Guide to Soda Cans
The link to this one is really messed up, it leads to nothing now.  But it's probably a site I used often for can information.

Richard's Can Universe
Another useful site... gone.

The Soda Can Library
Gone.

Mountain Dew Cans
The link doesn't even work now.  Gone.


But there are some websites I bookmarked that are still there.  I plan on doing a post in the future to highlight some of those sites.

I know things change, but all of the sites listed above played a part in my collection and this blog.  And I'm sad to see them gone.

Surge Nitro

In 1999, Coca-Cola brand Surge released a 5-can set promoting WCW Monday Nitro TNT Wrestling.  One of those cans, Booker T, came in a lot I bought a few years ago.




A couple months ago I bought a box of cans at a flea market junk shop and included were three more of the wrestling cans.  So now my count is up to four of the five.

My collection

The wrestlers my cans feature are Booker T, Kevin Nash, Rev Mysterio Jr, and Sting.  The only one I'm missing is Goldberg (picture below courtesy of canmuseum.com).

So watch out Goldberg, your wrestling days may be over, but I'm coming for you...

A Week of Energy

In the last week three energy drink cans made their way to me:

Fronts

The three cans are black cherry Hi*Ball (organic energy drink), pina colada Bang (potent brain and body fuel), and citrus Venom (low calorie energy drink).

Backs

I know I have other Bang and Venom cans, but this may be my first Hi*Ball.  My inventory log has fallen way behind, so I can't instantly tell anymore whether I have a can or not.  Regardess, these cans have now made their way into my collection.

Reverend Pepper

There are several people who watch for new cans for me.  One such person is at church.  This morning he told me there were a few Dr. Pepper cans on top of the coat rack for me.

After the service I looked and sure enough, there were four cans waiting for me.  I definitely have the dogs can on the right.  I may even have both football-themed cans.  But I know I don't have the "Sweet Rewards" can.

After a quick Google search it looks like there may be four different designs for this promotion.  So here we go.  I now have 1 of 4 and am waiting for the others to show up...


6/1/2019 UPDATE

Speaking of Sweet Rewards cans, my second one found me this week:

These are a bit tricky.  The two cans look the same but the icons are different, each icon representing a different summer activity.

7/5/2019 UPDATE

Two more Sweet Rewards cans were found recently:

While wearing sandals, my daughter didn't see this Diet Dr Pepper can lying in a parking lot and she accidentally kicked it, splattering what little soda remained in the can on her foot and lower leg.  While she was feverishly wiping the disgusting leftovers off, I was trying to remove the dent her toes had put in the can.  In the end, the can was fine and is now in my collection.  And her foot is fine.

This Cherry Dr Pepper can was in a bag of cans someone saved for me.

New Game Fuel

I've made several posts on various editions of Mtn Dew's Game Fuel.  So I was pleasantly surprised a couple of days ago when I saw four unfamiliar cans set aside for me at someone's house.  They are Mtn Dew's latest version of Game Fuel!!!

There are a few differences this time around.  They are branded as Mtn Dew AMP Game Fuel, not just Mtn Dew.  They are 16oz instead of the usual 12oz.  They are not associated with any specific video game.  And what's up with that funky top?

First you lift up on the tab-flap-thing.

Then you slide the whole tab-flap-think back, revealing the drink hole.

Then you put the can to your mouth and drink.


Sure, it's resealable, which makes the whole apparatus a bit impressive, but what gamer doesn't finish their energy drink? 

The side of the can even has a "tutorial" on how to open the top. 

And I love the flavors:

* Charged Tropical Strike
* Charged Berry Blast
* Charged Original Dew
* Charged Cherry Burst

Go grab some Game Fuel for yourself and you'll be at the top of the leaderboard in no time!!!

My Super Chill Week

It's been cold here.  Occasional snow and ice.  But that doesn't stop the cans from coming in.  Last week I nabbed three Super Chill cans from a relative's house.

This is the house brand for a local grocery store.  They are boring flavors; root beer, cream soda, and grape.  But still, it doesn't matter what's on the inside, it's all about the looks.  Wait, that's not what I was taught growing up!

Goombay Punch

In 2011 I went on a cruise to the Bahamas and brought back a few cans.  One of the cans I specifically remember not buying in Freeport, Grand Bahama, was a Bahamas Goombay Punch.  I've seen them on eBay and other sites since, but I haven't taken an opportunity to buy one.  Until recently.

Last month I posted about finding a box of cans at an antique store.  In that box was this can.  I'd finally got my Goombay Punch.

And this is an older can.  Notice the pull tab top and that it has not been opened.  In fact, the soda is still in the can.  Pics of newer cans show the size as 355mL or 12 fl. oz.  But this one shows as 12.49 imp. fl. oz., which I assume is Imperial Fluid Ounces.  I think it's my first can to show that.

The ingredients are listed on the side of the can and they look pretty simple.  Sounds like sugar water to me.  But with this one possibly being 35-40 years old, I won't be finding out what the soda tastes like from this can. 

Cool Red Cans

On this cold, icy morning, I decided to feature some of the recent red cans I've collected.  They're not new to stores, they are just new to me.

There's a Clover Valley Cola can, a Cranberry Sprite (which I got during Christmas), a 16oz Cherry Coca-Cola, and a Cherry 7Up.

The pic is a little blurry because it was still sleeting and I had to wipe the lens.  Now let me go see if I've got any hot blue cans to show next week...

The Swiss Monster

This Monster energy coffee can, given to me yesterday, is now one of my favorite Monster cans in my collection.

It's a Swiss Chocolate flavored coffee, so the mountain behind the "M" and the coats of arms that run down both sides are very appropriate.

It definitely has the look of a can from Switzerland (with a little assumption on my part).  I love all the coats of arms on the can.  They add to the Swissness.

And with this morning's fog, it was the perfect time to feature this Swiss Monster.

Two New 16oz.

Two new 16oz cans from the last few weeks...

I did a post on my first three Bang cans back in December 2017.  

Now let's see what this week will bring.

One More Holiday Can

I've had this for a few weeks, but I thought I'd post pics of 2018's Sprite holiday can since I've already posted about Mtn Dew Merry Mash-Up, Coca-Cola's holiday can, and a couple Coca-Cola ornaments I got for Christmas.

 

I really like the design of snowflakes in what looks like carbonation bubbles. 

But it also reminds me of the old pixelated 8-bit video game sprites.  And yes, that wordplay was intentional. 

Now that the Christmas holiday season has passed, we have a little breather before we start seeing special edition Fourth of July cans.  But I'll be ready...

Another New Vintage Can

The last few years has had its share of vintage-designed cans from 7UP, Pepsi, Mtn Dew, and others.  A few weeks ago I found another can from that group.

This one is RC.  The main differences in this and its older design are the "Me and My" above the RC and the 1905 establishment date under the logo.











One of my oldest RC cans is this straight steel, pull top can from the 1970's featuring the RC-in-a-white-circle design.

Another is this 1987 aluminum can featuring a UCLA ad on the back.















So let's keep the new old designs coming...

Finally a Find

Last weekend I hit the road for a one-day road trip exploring antique malls and flea markets in the surrounding area.  It's not hard to find a lot of beer cans for sale at those places, but soda cans are usually a rare find.  But I finally hit a small jackpot tucked away under a shelf in a dark, cold corner of one of the shops.

There were no real treasures here, but I did see quite a few cans I knew I didn't have.  In the lot was one Budweiser beer can, so I added that to a large box of beer cans I got when I bought a lot of 700+ soda cans from a Craigslist ad a few years ago.

And the sign was correct, it was 22 cans for $2.95.  The cans were very dusty, some still had dark liquids and bugs in them, and a couple had dents that needed popped out, but overall it was a good haul.

Now they've been thoroughly cleaned up and look good as new and I look forward to featuring some of them in the coming weeks. 

Coca-Cola Ornaments

It's a little hard to believe, but after nearly eight years of collecting soda cans I just got my first soda-related Christmas ornaments last week.

My daughter got these two Coca-Cola ornaments for me as part of my Christmas gift from her.  They are covered with a frosty layer, I assume to make them look ice cold and tempting.  Or it could be to glitter in the lights among the dozens of other ornaments on the tree.

Regardless, these little beauties will now join all the Star Wars and Disney and Marvel (hmm, those are all the same company now) ornaments on the tree each year.

As they say, have a Coke and a smile.  Or two.

The Fruit Is Real

There has been a change in Crush can designs that may have happened a while ago, but I just saw it this week. 

A co-worker brought a strawberry Crush can to me and said, "You've probably got this one, but here you go."  Crush doesn't often change their design, so I told him, "I probably do have it but I'll check."  And when I checked, that's when I realized I didn't have this design yet.

New design

The difference is above the word "Crush."  This new can shows actual strawberries, as opposed to the older design which showed orange slices.  In fact, it didn't matter what flavor the soda was, the old design always showed the orange slice above the word "Crush."

Old design

Another difference is the splash behind the entire logo.  The old splash was a rounded, cartoony kind of splash.  The new design is a bit more "realistic" with a more liquid look to it.

I've confirmed on the Crush website that cherry and grape also show their respective fruit, but all other flavors seem to still show the orange slice.  How fruity.

2018 Coca-Cola Holiday Can

Christmas is almost here...  And I finally got the 2018 Coca-Cola Holiday can.

I find the design a bit minimalist with just the big red dot behind the Coca-Cola font and dark red and green stripes behind that.  But the can does somewhat remind me of a candy cane, so if that's what they were going for it worked.

There's also a "sip & scan" logo on the side of the can.  So I followed the instructions and went to the website on my phone and it was a page explaining Coca-Cola will donate five cents for each can scanned between 10/19/18 and 12/28/19 to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, up to $100,000.

As of the writing of this post they are at 75% of their goal.  So make sure you go out and scan your cans.  There's only a couple weeks left to reach the goal.

Merry Christmas

Shasta Party

We have some new flavors of soda at work: orange, lemon lime, grape, and tiki punch.  These are the Shasta cans I brought home for my collection.

White Grape Peach

Someone gave this can to me a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately they had already drank it.  I was thankful for the new can for my collection, but this flavor sounds awesome!  I'm pretty sure this is the first white grape peach flavored drink in my collection.

Merry Mash-Up

Last week we had our first real snow of the season.  It was enough to cancel school, so we took the opportunity to get a jump on Christmas this year and we put up the Christmas tree and decorated the house.  Now Thanksgiving weekend will be a bit more pleasant since we don't have to do all that decorating "work."

And the tree was the perfect backdrop for my newest can... Mtn Dew Merry Mash-Up.  I had no idea this limited edition flavor existed until someone gave me a can.  And it's full, so I'll get to taste it, too.

This is a cranberry-pomegranate mash-up, two flavors I'm not a big fan of to begin with.  But who knows?  Maybe the combination of the two will be wonderful.

And with Christmas out of the way, now it's time for Thanksgiving!!  Bring on the buffet...

Destiny 2: Forsaken

I've mentioned a few times on this blog I'm a fan of the video game Destiny.  And Destiny 2.  So I was happy to get a Rockstar can with a Destiny 2: Forsaken promotion on it.  This is the first big expansion for the game, which released on Sept 6, 2017. 

Along the top of the can it mentions it's a Collectors Edition Can, but what I didn't notice until later is on the side it says this is can #3 of 8.  Wow.  Should the hunt begin?

And during this weekend's BlizzCon, it was announced the base Destiny 2 game is available for free on PC thru Blizzard's Battlenet.  Although I bought it on PS4 at release, I now also have it on the PC.

I'm not sure which is more fun, collecting Destiny cans or collecting the game on different gaming platforms...