Iron City Beer 12 Oz Zip/Tab Top Can

Iron City's Historic Snap Top

The Iron City Beer 12 Oz Zip/Tab Top can from the Pittsburgh Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, occupies an essential place in packaging history as the pioneer of the self-opening beverage can. In the early 1960s, Pittsburgh Brewing Company partnered with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to commercialize Ermal Fraze's scored-lid pull-tab invention. Marketed initially in test regions before seeing wide release, the design revolutionized the beverage industry by eliminating the need for a church key.

The initial rollout was a major commercial triumph, prompting rapid adoption across the brewery's lines and igniting an industry-wide transition toward tab closures. Iron City heavily promoted this milestone on the container's graphics, trademarking the moniker "Snap Top". The brewery was fiercely protective of its innovation, even taking legal action against regional competitors over the use of the term in their marketing.

Collectors recognize several variations of this can. Early production cans featured prominent slogans such as "New Easy Open Snap Top" to introduce consumers to the feature, while subsequent runs shifted messaging to proudly proclaim "No. 1 With The Snap Top" after other breweries adopted the technology. Minor variations in lid stamping and tab geometry also appeared as the manufacturing process evolved, making the can an iconic piece of mid-century industrial design.