Holy Cow!

I was perusing the multitudes of beer cans at an antique store today, wishing all those people had chosen soda instead of beer to drink/collect when I stumbled upon an orange can locked inside a glass display case.  The price tag was turned around so I couldn't see how much it was.  Usually items in a locked cabinet with their price tags backwards means a lot of $$$.  So I asked a worker to check on it for me.  She pulled it out and I was waiting for the $15 or more price when she said $2.  I said, "Holy cow!" haha, but she didn't laugh.  I said I'd take it.

When a different lady checked it out at the register, she mentioned that cabinet had 30% off, to which I said, "Holy cow!"  She didn't laugh either.  $1.52 with tax.  Not bad. 

At the store, I just wanted the can.  I figured I could explore its details later.  So after I got home and took a couple pics, I realized it was Harry Caray's picture and autograph on the can and looked it up on the internet.  Back in 1988, Vess (a St Louis-based soda) signed Harry Caray to this soda deal.  The Harry Caray line consisted of cola, orange, lemon-lime, root beer, creme and a diet cola. 

This is a nice local treasure I stumbled upon today.  The can is far from mint condition, but at least Harry Caray now has a presence in my collection.  And that's what matters most. 

Cool Can Brewsday (2 of 10)

There were some beer cans in a large lot of soda cans I once bought.  Even though I don't collect beer cans, I admit some of them do have great designs.  For ten Tuesdays in a row I will feature different beer can designs that I find worthy of sharing.

A Jackpot at Big Lots

I've mentioned Big Lots a few times on this blog.  Generally I don't like going to those stores but I learned that sometimes they have hard-to-find discontinued beverages... aka hard-to-find discontinued cans.

A last-minute decision to stop into a Big Lots today while running errands led to quite a can jackpot.

I also see a lot of taste tests with my kids in the future.  All this fun and excitement for only $10.40.   Take that, eBay!

Cool Can Brewsday (1 of 10)

There were some beer cans in a large lot of soda cans I once bought.  Even though I don't collect beer cans, I admit some of them do have great designs.  For ten Tuesdays in a row I will feature different beer can designs that I find worthy of sharing.

 

Beer Cans

In April of 2013, I bought a collection of soda cans off Craigslist.  Also in the collection were some beer cans.  I eventually added all 700+ soda cans to my collection site, but the beer cans were still in a box in my garage.  I got them out this morning and took their picture.

These cans are not included in my collection count, they're just "extra."   But there are some cool can designs.  I've pulled a few dozen of the cooler ones out and I'm going to occasionally show them on this site.

Stay tuned.  And cheers.

Tea Time

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Last weekend I ran into the local Dollar General for something.  While there, I happened to walk through the beverage section.  I was in search of the 24oz Baja Blast Mtn Dew, which they didn't have.  Instead, I saw some 24oz Brisk iced tea cans I didn't have yet.

I'm a sucker for Asian art.  So when I saw this Honey Ginseng can for $1, I couldn't pass it up.  And then I splurged and also got the can of Raspberry tea because its red and pink explosions of chaos was such a contrast to the serenity of the bird and tree on the teal can.

Later that evening at my parents' house, I raided their fridge for a drink and saw a lemon flavored Brisk tea, a can design of which I didn't have yet.  So that's what I chose to quench my thirst.

It isn't often I drink iced tea.  And after last Saturday it'll be a while before I have tea again.

The New Dew

Earlier this week I was asked if I buy 12-packs often to get a can I need (since I don't drink much soda).  I replied that I used to but the 12-packs were starting to build up and take up too much room.  So I rarely do any more.  But then I went to Walmart this evening...

As I walked in the door my eye was drawn to a teal-colored box.  A new box design must mean a new can design!  Sure enough, Mtn Dew Baja Blast is here for a limited time only.  How could I NOT buy this 12-pack?

Baja Blast was a flavor introduced in 2004 exclusive to Taco Bell, specifically formulated to taste best with their food.  In August 2012, Taco Bell began to sell Baja Blast Freeze, an icy variant of the soda.  In January 2014, Taco Bell introduced Diet Baja Blast.  And on May 5, to the surprise of the world, cans appeared on shelves!

Baja Blast is a tropical lime flavored soda that I can't wait to try.  I figure a Mtn Dew at bedtime wouldn't be the best thing for a non-soda drinker to do, so I'll wait till the weekend and chug one of these babies.  We'll see how long this 12-pack lasts me...

05/08/14 Update:  I took one of these cans to work with me today and I drank it at lunch.  The flavor was
ok.  It was a little better than average but not super-great.  I give it a 6 out of 10.  I think the problem had to do with its formulation to go with Taco Bell food.  I was eating French bread pizza, silly me.  Notice my Can Bottom-Opening Kit (hammer and nail).  Co-workers have learned to not ask questions.

05/11/14 Update:  And the final update.  I found
the 24 oz. can at a local convenient store yesterday.  Now I can sit back and wait for the next flavor to release...

Road Trip to Arkansas (part 2 of 2)

Last weekend I took a road trip to Fort Smith, Arkansas.  A few days ago I mentioned the cans I found on the way there.  I also found some cans in Springfield, Missouri, when we stopped for gas on the way home.

That 16 oz Coca-Cola can came out last year, but I haven't seen it in my area.  It's called the Chill Activated can.  The old-fashioned bottle is plain white when the can is at room temperature.  But when it's cold, the blue ice cubes appear to let you know it's ready to drink!

The other two cans are new versions of Kickapoo Joy Juice, a brand I wrote about a few years ago.  In addition to the Joy Juice, they also had Fruit Shine.  I can't wait to try these and finally see what Kickapoo Joy Juice tastes like. 

Website Pick #4: Soda Spectrum Magazine

On the first of every month I will feature one of my favorite can websites.  

Please send an email if you have a website for consideration.

 

 www.sodaspectrum.com 

 

When I began collecting cans a few years ago, I was on fire.  I wanted to go buy every can in the store.  I wanted to pick up every can in the gutter.  I wanted to get on every forum and start learning about cans.  And then I found Soda Spectrum, a magazine 100% dedicated to the history and collecting of soda-related items.

 

Four issues are released each year.  You can subscribe to have a print copy mailed to your home or you can purchase a digital .PDF copy and download it right from the website.  They also have back issues (in print or digital) you can purchase.

 

When I found the site a few years ago, they had a special offer where you could get all the back issues up to that point on a CD, so that's what I did.  I've read through many of those issues and each one is chock full o' good information!!

 

If you are an enthusiast about any aspect of the soda industry, definitely check out an issue of Soda Spectrum.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

 

* This may look like a commercial for Soda Spectrum but I have no affiliation with the magazine or its website.  I'm a collector who found the magazine's website and wants to share it with others in the community.

Road Trip to Arkansas (part 1 of 2)

Another one of my hobbies is paranormal investigation.  My group was recently invited to investigate the Clayton House in Fort Smith, Arkansas, so we loaded up the van and hit the road last weekend.

On the way, we stopped in Bentonville, AR, for gas.  I ran inside the store and found a brand of energy drink I hadn't seen before... Nuclear.  I think there are more than the two flavors I got, but those are the only two they had left.

It was only fitting that I waited to take their picture in front of the Clayton House later that evening.  We found quite a bit of energy in that house.  I'd like to thank Rick for making it happen!

Q1 Team Meeting

I've posted a few times about the quarterly team meetings at my work.  (here, here and here)

A couple of nights ago we had our team meeting for the first quarter of 2014.  And again, I walked away with some souvenirs.

 

What surprised me were the Pepsi cans.  I had no idea a new design had been released.  Someone asked if I thought it was cool or just different.  I wouldn't say it's cool, but it sure is nice to see something different!  The Sierra Mist can is real similar to the last "new" one I had, but this one has a green calorie marker as opposed to the white one on the older can.

Another side of the new Pepsi cans

Hopefully in three months I'll have a picture of my Q2 team meeting souvenirs.

Shiver Me Tea-mbers!

I love a good pirate ship.  Who doesn't?  So I was pretty excited when I saw these nautical-themed cans at Big Lots a couple of years ago.  Not only did the colors catch my eye, but I love the maps and pirate ships and anchors and mermaids and Asian writing... etc.

 

The cans I have are copyright 2010 under the Admiral Beverage Company.  But a quick Google search shows Admiral Iced Tea as a product of Hansen's Natural, which has been around for many years.  The www.admiralbev.com website on the can no longer works, so my guess is the company "sank" and Hansen's bought them out.

Regardless of who owns the company, I've only drank a couple of the flavors.  They taste ok; not good enough for me to track down more yet not bad enough to pour down the drain.  For a mediocre product, the packaging is Arrr-Right in me book.

So the next time you decide to crack Jenny's tea cup, make it an Admiral Iced Tea.

A Three Year Retrospective

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the start of my can collection.  So with the help of some recently found pictures, I will look back at how the collection grew.  These pictures were taken in May 2011, just a month after I started my collection. 

All 12 oz cans

Back then I kept my cans in three or four boxes in a closet.  One box held blue cans and green cans.  Another held red, orange and yellow cans.  And so on.  I had them organized my color (hence the rainbow in these pics).

But I quickly ran out of room in that closet.  It was in late June 2011 that I built my first set of shelves.  A couple of days later I had all of my cans displayed.  It was around that time that I took the pics that are used as the background on this blog. 

All cans of every size

The cans kept coming.  The collection kept growing.  I built more shelves.  Then I added even more shelves in the basement and expanded to the garage.  And now I have started using one cardboard box per brand because I can't display them all any more.

You know, when I review my three years of collecting in a quick summary like this, I worry that in three more years I may have to live in a camper because the house will be too full of cans.  If that happens, you can be sure I'll write a post about it :)

World's Fair Beer

I intentionally stay away from collecting beer cans because soda cans already take up too much time.  But tonight I made an exception.

My grandpa died back in the 1990's.  And my grandma died last fall.  So now my parents are going through Grandma and Grandpa's house and pulling out anything the family wants to keep.  In a few weeks everything that's left is going to be auctioned with the house.  So tonight I got my turn in the house to grab any keepsakes or mementos.

In the refrigerator was this can of World's Fair Beer.  As far as I know Grandpa rarely drank, so I was a bit surprised to see this in his fridge.  At first I said, "Too bad it's not a soda can."  But then I decided in this case, a beer can is ok.  It would be another thing to remember Grandpa by.

Upon doing a little research, this can is from the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee.  I seriously doubt he went to it, so it remains a mystery why he had it.  But it's still full.  So I will soon be draining the can of its 32 year-old contents.  Probably the oldest draining I've done.

There was another question that crossed my mind.  "Was it Grandma's?"

Website Pick #3: CanMuseum

On the first of every month I will feature one of my favorite can websites.  

Please send an email if you have a website for consideration.

 www.CanMuseum.com

One of the first can websites I found when I started my collection was CanMuseum.  It is, as far as I know, the largest online can catalog in the world with over 55,000 cans pictured as of today.  And the best part is you can actually contribute and be part of the can collecting community there.

The idea behind the website is one all collectors can appreciate.  Most of us don't have enough time to dedicate to our collection.  This website was created to be a catalog, or reference guide, where collectors can keep track of their collection online without doing all the work on their own.  Each can you have in your collection that is added by another collector saves you a lot of work.  And it also works the other way.  Cans you have added to the site can be used by other collectors.  You can also create a trade list so people know what cans you are willing to part with. 

The forums are a great place to learn about cans, share pics of your treasures, ask questions or buy/sell/trade.  I've made a couple of trades that started in the forums.  I've had email conversations with both founders of the site.  I even traded sixty USA cans for sixty European cans with one of the founders which really helped kick off the foreign wing of my collection.

I've been a member for a couple of years and have added over 100 cans to the site (with plans to add more).  What are you waiting for?  It's a great resource, it's fun and it's FREE! 

"Creating the best online reference guide for cans is not the work of only a few collectors. We all have to work together on it."  - Allcans, CanMuseum admin

Monster Ultra

My newest Monster can

I was at Walmart last week and saw this bright red Monster can.  I knew nothing about it other than it caught my eye and I knew I didn't have it in my collection, so I bought it.  Since then it's been in my pantry waiting to be "processed."

Yesterday I was doing some random internet surfing and I ran across a picture showing Monster Ultra cans.  I saw the red one that I just bought in addition to a white one and a blue one.  I recognized the white and blue cans as ones already in my collection, so without even realizing it I had completed my Monster Ultra collection.

My three Ultra cans

Videojet Printing System

I've written a couple of posts about the innovative American Can Company.  One was about their button down can.  Another was about their Mira Form II can design.  This third one is about the Videojet printing system.

From what I can tell, this can dates to around 1973.  I thought the Videojet printing referred to printing the label on a piece of paper which was then wrapped around a blank can*, as was done on this promo can.  But in doing some research, not only did I discover that I was wrong about the printing but I also found out the Videojet system discussed on this can went on to become Videojet Technologies, Inc., which still exists today. 

Here's a paragraph from one of the websites I found:

During the 1970s the company's growth was furthered by new applications that led to the development of the Model 9000, the world's first industrial ink-jet identification system. The canning industry, in particular, became a major customer. American Can Co. inquired about using Videojet technology to print date codes onto beverage cans, which moved at a rate of 2,000 cans per minute during production. Despite the investment of millions of dollars, the industry's early attempts to accomplish this had been unsuccessful. Videojet engineer Tom Madden, who later became the company's vice-president of applied research and development, was involved in the development of an extremely successful prototype that was piloted at a Milwaukee brewery. The prototype quickly evolved into a global beverage industry standard, and by the 1990s Videojet printers were coding billions of beverage cans annually.

My 7-year old son recently asked, "Why do people collect cans?"   I couldn't come up with a real good answer at the time, but now I realize you never know what you're going to learn from reading a can.  Most of the time you'll just learn how many extra calories you just consumed.  But in this case, I learned a bit about the printing business, from its early ink-jet days in the late 60's to modern printing systems.  And all that from of a can that looks like it was designed for Atari 2600 gamers.

*You can see in the above pic that the Videojet can is a can just like the blank can on the left, but it has a paper wrapper with the Videojet information on it.
 

It's Greek to Me

I don't really drink soda.  So when I met some guys for lunch today at a Greek restaurant and ordered my chicken gyro, I looked in the beverage display case and saw regular cans of Coca-Cola, Sprite, Diet Coke and bottled water.  I ordered a water.  But I changed that order when I noticed Pibb Zero tucked away in the corner of the case; a can I didn't have yet.  If I'm going to spend $.99 on a drink, I might as well get something I would keep.

I asked my friends if the restaurant would think I was weird if I asked for a nail and a hammer to bottom open the soda.  They recommended I didn't.  It goes to show, you never know when you'll stumble upon a can you've never seen before.

I took this better picture of the can when I got home from work.  I might drink it someday when I'm really thirsty.

Souvenirs from Brazil

Years ago, I went to a different church than the one I attend now.  At the previous church was a lady from Brazil.  She would occasionally visit her family in Brazil.  One time she brought my kids t-shirts from there.  But on her most recent visit, she returned with a different kind of souvenir.

 

She found out about my can collection and brought the above two cans back for me.  The language is Portuguese.

The first can is Guarana Antarctica, a very popular brand of soda down there.  And as a bonus, the can is still full!  So I will be doing a taste test soon and I'll update this post with the results.

The second can is Coca-Cola.  I apologize to anyone who speaks Portuguese if these translations aren't correct, but according to an online translator:

     Compartilhe = "Share"
     Felicidade = an expression of well-wishing
     A magia esta em voce = "The magic is in you"

My favorite part of the Guarana can is its barcode.  It looks like a little garden.

Overall, it's a couple of great cans from a South American country I didn't have cans from yet.

Thanks, Frieda!

Dusty, the Delta Air Lion

I stumbled upon a purple can in my collection called Pawberry Punch.  The lion's face is labeled "Dusty", the Delta Air Lion.  The copyright date on the 11.5 oz can is 1989.  It was distributed by Campbell Soup.  And so I began my research into Dusty and his marketing blitz.

This was the 100% juice drink served to kids in the 80's and 90's on Delta flights and in their airport play areas called Dusty's Dens.  I also found a large inflatable Dusty toy/display online.  And here's an article from 1992 talking about Dusty visiting a local hospital.  Currently, there are various Dusty stuffed animals from the 90's listed on eBay.  I also found pictures of Dusty patches and buttons.

So how is it I had never heard of Dusty until this week?  Because I usually fly Southwest.