The Evolution of Beer Cans

Everything changes over time. Whether something is natural or artificial, it will meet change somewhere along the way.

Ever since its first appearance in 1935, beer cans have, like other man-made stuff, undergone some change over time. If you’re interested in seeing how beer cans evolved, then you’ll be delighted to know that there is a person who has collected over 4,500 antique beer cans since 1993 — David Maxwell.

[Maxwell has] compiled a handy field-identification guide meant to assist researchers in pinpointing “changes in major and minor design features [in beer cans]…to yield age estimates accurate to within five years of production.”

The archeological study of beer cans is a small niche within the field of “tin can archeology.” For archeologists, the value of tin cans comes from one key feature: disposability. According to archeologist Jane Busch, “Immediate disposal makes the…can a valuable dating tool for archaeologists,” since “there are few uses for an open tomato can once the tomatoes are gone.” Even though beer cans are relatively modern compared to something like a Civil War–era metal milk can, Busch argues, “The historical archaeologist who ignores the beer can at his site is like the prehistoric archaeologist who ignores historic pottery.”

Know more about how beer cans changed over time, over at JSTOR Daily.

(Image Credit: Visitor7/ Wikimedia Commons)