Rheingold Extra Dry Lager Beer Flat Top Can

Miss Rheingold Margie McNally Can

Issued by Liebmann Breweries of New York, this flat top can is part of the historic Miss Rheingold promotional campaign. During the 1940s and 1950s, the annual Miss Rheingold contest was a cultural sensation across the New York metropolitan area, regularly generating millions of public votes in balloting that rivaled major civic elections in regional participation.

This specific can features Margie McNally, a model from Flushing, Queens, who competed in the 1956 pageant and won the public vote to reign as Miss Rheingold 1957. Liebmann featured contestants directly on their beer packaging during this era, followed by dedicated cans honoring the crowned winner. McNally's portrait is prominently displayed alongside the brewery's signature branding.

Following her reign representing the brewery in print, billboards, and television advertisements, McNally built a successful modeling and acting career, appearing on numerous magazine covers and in television broadcasts. She later married automotive publishing pioneer Robert E. Petersen, with whom she co-founded the renowned Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and engaged in extensive philanthropic work.

Because Liebmann operated facilities across multiple regional locations, variations exist with different brewery location mandatories and minor print distinctions. The can remains one of the most recognizable examples of mid-century beauty pageant marketing in breweriana history.