Beer Can Grading

Grade 1
Can is an indoor found can with no significant imperfections.

Grade 2
Can either is an indoor found can in the poorest condition for an indoor can or about as good as an outdoor found can gets. Noticeable spots/scratches. Larger spots, minor rust,
and minor fade may exist on can.

Grade 3
Heavy spots, rust, scratches and more significant fade may exist. Very noticeable imperfections but everything on can is readable

Grade 4
May have holes, very poor condition, at least half of can is readable.

Grade 5
Very poor condition, most of can not readable/visible. Major rust, holes, etc.

The numbers that are in the beginning of the beer can descriptions:
These numbers are the book numbers. The first and always used numbers at the beginning are from United States Beer Cans (USBC) Vol. I or Vol. II printed by the Brewery Collectibles Club of America (BCCA). Volume 1 covers flat tops and cone tops. Volume 2 covers self-opening cans or pull tabs (the more recent ones). You'll notice some of the cans have a second book number that I begin with "OI" (OI stands for opening instructions). These are for "instructional" flat tops or flat tops that have instructions on them on how to open the cans. When the flat top cans first came out around 1935, there was no tab to pull off. Drinkers had to use a churchkey opener to punch a hole in the flat top. The earlier flat tops included instructions on the cans on how to punch this hole. There was a separate volume of books published by Kevin Lilek just for instructional flat tops. This book is called United States Beer Cans with Opening Instructions. It includes a separate page for every tiny variation of just about every instructional can and has become a standard reference for these instructionals. Let's take an example of an instructional can that would have both book numbers. Take a look at your lot number 393 113-11 is from the USBC Vol. I. This can would be found on page 113 and it would be the 11th can on that page. It also would be found on page 671 of the USBC with Opening Instructions by Lilek.

* = Can is pictured in the BCCA Book
** = Can pictured in Lilek Book

A number of the reverse painted glass signs in the sale were purportedly found circa 1975 to 1981 in Chicago in The Western Sand Blast Mfg. Co. building upon it's sale and transfer to a new owner. An individual named Tony Kottmeier recovered these beautiful examples of chipped glass and embossed signs. All of the signs were discovered unfinished without paint, or silver or gold leaf decoration. Tony knew folks who could complete the process, did so with most of the find, and offered them to collectors in the condition you now see them. In addition to beer related signs, many other product categories were also in the same factory find. Some of the exact signs offered in this sale are featured in early Western Sand Blast catalogs as examples of the work they would do shortly after the turn of the century. These heavy signs, many with beveled edges, are wonderful examples of an art form rarely found today. All signs believed to have come from this find are lots 157, 167, 168, 330, 331, 339, 343,5 07, 520, 521,5 22, 690, 698, 957, 968, 1144, 1310, 1320,1 483, 1495, 1644, 1645, 1652,1 789