Trying to figure out this "test can"

[fiat128]

I picked up this can recently and am trying to figure out what it is. The one thing I'm sure of is that it's made this way intentionally. The pink is printed in a separate layer over the white (I can see the white where the pink has flaked off) so it's not a case of the red dye getting mixed in with the white. It's an air pack and the bottom is aluminum (checked with a magnet).
I'm pretty sure this can predates using pink for breast cancer awareness. The obvious things it could be are that it's one of those fake 70s error cans or test can for inks or maybe it was used to mark end or start of a run down a canning line. Canning code says "73C". Anybody have any idea about this or know the story on this one?

[jinsequa]

Misprint with a funky bottom added. Andrewsauto on ebay has been selling a whole bunch of misprints the last year that all have that same bottom and most are AB products from St.Louis. I am guessing he rolled them himself with bottoms he had available.


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[Upsidedown]

Misprint with a funky bottom added. Andrewsauto on ebay has been selling a whole bunch of misprints the last year that all have that same bottom and most are AB products from St.Louis. I am guessing he rolled them himself with bottoms he had available.


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I agree that the funky bottom was added after this can was spray painted a light coat of pink, but it wasn't added by Bob Andrews (Andrewsauto). Bob buys collections in bulk and the errors he has now we're all purchased from the same St Louis collector. There's no doubt those cans were "created" on purpose by a plant employee many moons ago, but they weren't produced by Bob in an attempt to fool anyone.

I've been dealing with him for many years and his ethics are above reproach.

Just my two cents but I would hate for Bob to get lumped in with the "faker" dirtbags on eBay.

[Longhorn Mike]

Misprint with a funky bottom added. Andrewsauto on ebay has been selling a whole bunch of misprints the last year that all have that same bottom and most are AB products from St.Louis. I am guessing he rolled them himself with bottoms he had available.

If I'm not mistaken, even the master can rollers cannot roll crimp steel cans. It requires powerful, industrial equipment to shape a crimp steel can. Maybe they can lid them, but I'm not even sure of that.

- Mike

[fiat128]

I wouldn't call it a misprint then, it wasn't an accident. Also, the pink looks like it's been printed with the equipment used to apply the regular paint.

[jinsequa]

Misprint with a funky bottom added. Andrewsauto on ebay has been selling a whole bunch of misprints the last year that all have that same bottom and most are AB products from St.Louis. I am guessing he rolled them himself with bottoms he had available.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree that the funky bottom was added after this can was spray painted a light coat of pink, but it wasn't added by Bob Andrews (Andrewsauto). Bob buys collections in bulk and the errors he has now we're all purchased from the same St Louis collector. There's no doubt those cans were "created" on purpose by a plant employee many moons ago, but they weren't produced by Bob in an attempt to fool anyone.

I've been dealing with him for many years and his ethics are above reproach.

Just my two cents but I would hate for Bob to get lumped in with the "faker" dirtbags on eBay.

No smear on Bob was meant in any way. I have bought a lot of cans off of him and had no issues ever. Actually, he was quite polite and nice in his email conversations. It was more a statement of what he was selling , than an indictment of him. I personally don't see anything wrong with rolling your own cans if you have the sheets and the equipment. I know I would if I could.

Eric

[Upsidedown]

Eric, I agree but ialso think that the buyer should be told the can was rolled.

[oldindiapaleale]

The can in the picture shows a listing of brewing plants that could only be from 1972 to 1976. I don't know when the first crimped steel cans appeared but I would think it would be circa 1974-1976.

The lid of that can does not have Budweiser embossed on it. The several Bud cans that I have from the 70s all have Budweiser embossed on them.

The pink color is a translucent dye that was applied/sprayed to the sheets before they were rolled and lidded.

Comments above indicate the difficulty in rolling a flat sheet into a "crimped" can, and even if possible why apply an incorrect top lid and an aluminum bottom end?

This appears to be some kind of "Franken-can" put together by employees at a canning plant during the 1970s and then sell by the way of the back door to any of the thousands of collectors looking for odd variations.