Schaefer Beer 12 Oz Zip Top Can

Schaefer 1964 World's Fair Zip Top

This 12-ounce straight steel zip top container represents an eye-catching mid-1960s design from F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Co. Characterized by an all-over geometric pattern of gold circular medallions and red cartouches, the label displays the brewery's Baltimore, Maryland plant designation along the bottom rim. A notable feature of this release is the "World's Fair" text situated to the left of the can seam, commemorating the company's major sponsorship and pavilion presence at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair, where the brewer operated the popular Schaefer Center restaurant and exhibition hall.

Schaefer was marketed as a smooth, easy-drinking heritage lager and promoted as "America's Oldest Lager Beer." The brand's advertising emphasized craftsmanship and longevity, most famously through the long-running tagline "Our hand has never lost its skill" and the iconic 1960s jingle, "Schaefer is the one beer to have when you're having more than one." The circular medallions across the can body reinforce this messaging, referencing the company's founding in 1842 and its multi-century family brewing tradition.

The F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company was founded in New York City by German immigrant brothers Frederick and Maximilian Schaefer. The business navigated Prohibition by producing near beer, carbonated beverages, and commercial ice before rebounding strongly after Repeal. During the post-war era, Schaefer expanded its brewing capacity beyond New York by acquiring regional facilities, including the former Gunther brewery in Baltimore in the early 1960s. Although Schaefer grew to become one of the best-selling regional beers along the Eastern Seaboard, escalating market consolidation eventually led to its purchase by the Stroh Brewery Company in 1981, after which the brand rights eventually transferred to Pabst.

For breweriana enthusiasts, this can is a prized cross-collectible that bridges mid-century beer can design with major American historical events. The combination of early pull-tab construction, the Baltimore canning line, and the direct World's Fair text makes it a standout piece in both regional brewery collections and World's Fair souvenir archives.