Iron City Beer 12 Oz Zip Top Can

The First Commercial Zip Top Can

In 1962, the Pittsburgh Brewing Company made packaging history by partnering with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to release Iron City Beer with an innovative self-opening mechanism. Utilizing a scored aluminum lid and rivet design developed by inventor Ermal Fraze, this release eliminated the traditional need for a separate churchkey puncture tool and revolutionized the entire beverage packaging industry.

Initial test marketing began in Staunton, Virginia, where the can proved to be an overwhelming commercial success, reportedly causing sales to surge dramatically for the brewery. Following the enthusiastic response, Pittsburgh Brewing Company converted its regular packaging lines and celebrated the milestone directly on the label art, featuring promotional text such as "New Easy-Opening Snap Top" and "No. 1 with the Snap Top".

Because this was the inaugural deployment of the technology, the earliest can lids featured an unrolled pull tab and a plain opening before stamped directions and rolled safety edges were integrated. Several variations of this historic can exist among collectors, reflecting slight differences in promotional slogans, side text layouts, and lid revisions across its run.