Gibbons Premium Beer 12 Oz Tab Top Can

Gibbons Premium Beer Tab Top Can

The Gibbons Premium Beer 12 oz tab top can is a staple of northeastern Pennsylvania breweriana, produced by The Lion in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Lion Brewery, originally established in 1905 as the Luzerne County Brewing Company, was reorganized under the Smulowitz family following the repeal of Prohibition, establishing Gibbons as the facility's flagship label. While post-Prohibition market consolidation forced many regional breweries out of business, The Lion maintained independent operations, later absorbing classic regional labels from competitors such as Stegmaier and Bartels.

Design Features and Collector Notes

The can design displays bold Gibbons typography and clear municipal attribution to Wilkes-Barre alongside the brewery's traditional heraldry. For collectors of regional packaging history, the can offers several notable points of interest:

• Production Variations: Multiple known variations exist among production runs, showcasing subtle differences in mandatory legal wording, canning line manufacturer marks, and metallic trim versus enamel finishes.
• Material Transitions: The Gibbons tab top reflects the industry's evolution in container manufacturing, having been produced in both straight steel and all-aluminum formats.
• Promotional Coin Banks: In addition to standard distribution cans, promotional editions were produced with factory coin-slot lids for use as souvenir banks.

As a direct link to the anthracite coal region's brewing past and the longevity of The Lion, the Gibbons tab top remains an enduring favorite in Pennsylvania breweriana collections.