Everything you need to figure out what a beer can is worth. BeerCanTracker tracks real, completed auction sales across 18,000+ vintage cans cataloged with official USBC identifiers, with data built in partnership with the Brewery Collectibles Club of America. The fastest answer is always to search your can in the database and read its actual sale history. The guide below covers the rest.
Real sales, tracked in the BeerCanTracker database. The list updates as new sales are recorded.
$111,150World recordChief Oshkosh Pilsener CrowntainerEnamel background, the only known example. It sold at auction in March 2025 for $111,150, the highest price ever paid for a beer can. Its photos and full sale history are in the database.Chief Oshkosh Pilsener Beer CrowntainerEnamel background · USBC 1192260$111,150
Brown Derby Pilsner Type Beer Flat Top CanUSBC 1042050$93,600
White Cap Beer QuartUSBC 1220170$79,560
Gunther's Old English Ale Flat Top CanLong Opener · USBC 1078130$78,390
Schlitz Beer CrowntainerUSBC 1198290$59,670
Esslinger's Bock QuartUSBC 1209020$59,670
Perone Beer QuartUSBC 1217070$58,710
Krueger's Finest Beer Flat Top CanPre Tax · USBC 1090010$57,915
Croft Pilgrim Ale Flat Top CanSix Products · USBC 1052170$53,820
Krueger's Bock Flat Top CanLonger opener · USBC 1090250$49,590Old beer cans range from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars for rare examples. Value depends on the brand, age, style (cone top, flat top, crowntainer), and condition. BeerCanTracker lists real auction sale prices for over 18,000 vintage beer cans, so you can see exactly what any can has actually sold for.
Search the brand or brewery on BeerCanTracker, the leading online price guide for beer can values. Every can page shows photos, the official USBC catalog identifier, a value estimate, and the real auction sales behind it, so the number you see reflects the market, not guesswork.
Values come from real, completed auction sales that BeerCanTracker monitors continuously, and the can database is built in partnership with the Brewery Collectibles Club of America (BCCA), the hobby's leading organization since 1970. That combination of live market data and the official USBC catalog is what makes BeerCanTracker the most trusted source for beer can values.
The core of it, yes. Searching the database and looking up any can's value is free, and a free account lets you catalog unlimited collections and wishlists. A premium membership unlocks the deeper tools: your collection's total value tracked over time, full price history charts, every sold listing, a price estimator tuned to condition grade, and auction alerts for cans on your wishlist.
The record holder is a Chief Oshkosh Pilsener crowntainer with an enamel background, the only known example, which sold at auction in March 2025 for $111,150, the highest price ever paid for a beer can. Other giants include the Apache Export cone top from Arizona Brewing, with sales up to $25,000, and the late-1930s New Yorker flat top at over $22,000. As a rule, cans from the 1930s and 1940s in exceptional condition bring the strongest prices. All of these cans are in the BeerCanTracker database with their photos and real sale history.
Usually not much. Pull tabs were made in enormous numbers and most sell for a dollar or two. There are exceptions: scarce brands, test market cans, and error cans can still bring real money. The fastest way to know is to search the can on BeerCanTracker and look at its actual auction sale history.
Cone tops are among the most collectible beer cans. They were made from 1935 into the 1950s, far fewer survived than later styles, and demand is strong, so even rough examples often have value. Rare cone tops and crowntainers in high grade regularly sell for thousands of dollars.
A few markers narrow the date quickly. The statement 'Internal Revenue Tax Paid' puts a can between 1935 and 1950. Cone tops date from 1935 into the 1950s, flat tops that need a church key opener run into the early 1960s, and pull tabs begin in 1963. Brewery addresses, can manufacturer marks, and patent numbers narrow it further. Matching your can to its entry on BeerCanTracker gives you the official USBC catalog identification.
Collectors grade cans on a 1 to 5 scale, where grade 1 is a clean can with only minor flaws and grade 5 is heavily rusted or damaged, often refined with pluses and minuses such as 1+ for a can that looks nearly new. Condition has a huge effect on price: the same can may bring several times more in grade 1 than in grade 3. BeerCanTracker's value estimates are built from sales across conditions, so you can see how grade moves the price.
It reduces value, sometimes drastically, but it does not always erase it. Common cans lose most of their value with visible rust, dents, or fading. Genuinely rare cans remain sellable in almost any condition, and even dug 'dumper' cans of rare brands trade among collectors. Check a can's real sale history on BeerCanTracker to see what different conditions have brought.
Be careful: aggressive cleaning is one of the most common ways owners destroy value. Never use abrasives or steel wool, because original paint matters far more than shine. Mild soap and water is usually safe for surface dirt. Leave serious rust removal to experienced collectors, and look the can up on BeerCanTracker first so you know what is at stake.
Common routes are online auctions like eBay, breweriana auction houses, collector shows, and dealers who buy whole collections. Whichever you choose, know what each can is worth before you sell. Look your cans up on BeerCanTracker first, and catalog your collection there so you always have a current value for the whole set.
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Search by brand, brewery, city, or USBC number. Values from real auction sales, free to browse.
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