Cooper's Yorktown Brand Ale Quart

Cooper's Yorktown Ale Quart Cone Top

The Cooper’s Yorktown Brand Ale Quart is a vintage 32-ounce cone top container produced during the late 1930s and 1940s. Engineered to provide a multi-serving volume of traditional ale, this large-format can carries an Internal Revenue Tax Paid statement indicative of its pre- and immediate post-World War II vintage. The visual presentation is anchored by a centered oval panel framed by concentric green and silver borders. Near the crest of the oval sits a heraldic shield displaying three horses beneath a circular emblem, reinforcing an air of heritage and craftsmanship. The bottom section of the oval identifies the brewing firm with the text "Brewed and Packaged by Liebert & Obert, Philadelphia, Penna.," while "One Full Quart" is boldly printed across the lower skirt.

Introduced to serve consumers in the Mid-Atlantic market who favored hearty, traditional ales, Cooper’s Yorktown Brand Ale was part of a broader portfolio that also featured Old Bohemian Beer and cream ales. Marketed for family gatherings and shared tavern pours, the quart-sized packaging was positioned as a practical option for social consumption. The brand maintained regional distribution until the late 1940s, when rising operational costs and post-war market pressures led to its retirement.

Liebert & Obert was established in 1873 by Peter Liebert and John Obert in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia. Operating along Oak and Carson streets, the company grew into a prominent local brewery celebrated for its porters, lagers, and ales. During National Prohibition, the plant ceased alcoholic production and sustained itself through the manufacture of near-beer. Following repeal in 1933, the firm incorporated and resumed brewing, later operating in close association with the Cooper Brewing Company entity. Facing intense competition from expanding national shipping brewers, the historic facility closed its doors in 1948.

Quart cone tops represent a distinctive and highly celebrated segment within vintage breweriana. The commanding shelf presence of 32-ounce containers, paired with the classic mid-century typography and regional Philadelphia brewery history, makes this can an engaging historical artifact for collectors of large-format cans and Mid-Atlantic brewing memorabilia.