Why is this ABC tab going for $410?

[Rand]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/152744072940

Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?

[Ziphippie]

Metallic not enamel from Gold Brau Brewing instead of the everyday Garden State or August Wagner Breweries. Cool top and vanity bottom lid, just a cool can! Hard to believe a non OI can is going so high- Bjorn

[DaddyDewrop]

The Gold Brau ones are a lot tougher. I believe they normally book for around $100. That, plus looks like a bit of a bidding war on this particular can. Just goes to show, not all tabs are "easy" or "cheap"!

[clark]

Wow, that seems crazy to me for a slight variation of 70's slag.

[Dixie Dave]

Just shows that you need to watch those 70s and 80s tabs. Some of them are actually pretty tough cans. Honestly, I wouldn't know off the top of my head that this was a tough can if I saw one at a flea market. I'd probably pick it up if it was cheap because I know that a lot of people save Chicago cans and I could probably flip it or trade it at my next can show.

I've thought for some time that we should have some kind of repository on this board that was like a central source for information about tough variations. I know a few from my area that are like this- you wouldn't think anything of them, but they are quite difficult to find. If we all contributed to this, I would think it would be pretty useful to members and non-members alike. I would suggest breaking it down into flats, cones, 60s tabs, 70s and 80s tabs, modern tabs, 16 ounces, and odd sizes because one big list would quickly become too cumbersome to use. I'll be happy to contribute to this for my neck of the woods if this becomes a thing.

[Longhorn Mike]

It may look like 70's slag, but it's a tough 60's can. I have only seen a couple of these cans before, and they were in advanced collections. Don't recall if I've ever seen this variation for sale before.

Heck, you will see 100 Garden State Brewing versions before you even see the "easy" August Wagner variation.

- Mike

[Senator Seebs]

Time to look at my ABCs ...

[mattski323]

The Florida factor?

[MI-Cans]

Agree with Mike. Shows I've attended, I've seen nothing but Garden State cans. I check them over because I'd like to land a pair of the August Wagner versions. Never seen any of those. And for sure, I never saw a Gold Brau version.

The book does give some value to the Gold Brau versions. But what you call the slag Garden State cans are only a couple dollars off from the Wagner ones and yet I never found any.

(MI-Cans)

Click to enlarge.

[Leon]

The tab is intact, that's why it is getting so much.

[HDbeerman]

Except for the Peter Hand tabs there are many Chicago tabs that are tough or MUCH tougher than the like flats.

The easy non PH tabs are all undervalued.

And most of the really tough Chicago tabs you may never see.

There may be multiple bidders but they are serious and know their cans!

[HDbeerman]

Metallic not enamel from Gold Brau Brewing instead of the everyday Garden State or August Wagner Breweries. Cool top and vanity bottom lid, just a cool can! Hard to believe a non OI can is going so high- Bjorn

The enamel is the tougher of the 3 in the book from Gold Brau yet it is valued the least. Just goes to show how off the book can be.

[oldmoneytexan]

Metallic not enamel from Gold Brau Brewing instead of the everyday Garden State or August Wagner Breweries. Cool top and vanity bottom lid, just a cool can! Hard to believe a non OI can is going so high- Bjorn

The enamel is the tougher of the 3 in the book from Gold Brau yet it is valued the least. Just goes to show how off the book can be.

You think the enamel is the toughest of the beers?

[Beercanpete]

Check this auction out when it's done--BIG price and still 10 minutes to go as I write this. How tough is the Gold Brau ABC Ale tab? Tougher than the Beer? Can't recall ever seeing one of those ...

[Leon]

Wow, The Big $520.

[oldmoneytexan]

Wow, The Big $520.

I only bid that high because you said it was bottom opened.

[OhioCanGuy]

And the snipe bid with 3 seconds to go wins it at a cool $520. Wow.

I'll definitely be paying closer attention to those ABC cans going forward!

[oldmoneytexan]

And the snipe bid with 3 seconds to go wins it at a cool $520. Wow.

I'll definitely be paying closer attention to those ABC cans going forward!

Please do. I need the ale.

[Leon]

Wow, The Big $520.

I only bid that high because you said it was bottom opened.

I know you'll pay double the price if tab is intact.

[Rockbob]

I believe Aho has both the beer and ale. I know he found the beer in a dollar box.

[Rand]

Thanks for the education! Posted this landmark auction to the Notable Ebay Sales reference page :-)

Also, it motivated me to go and dig into the old garage collection.....and found a metallic ABC...properly AGED beer....pull tab still intact.....florida bottom.....but unfortunately it's the August Wagner variation.....

Rand :-)

[DaddyDewrop]

I like Dave's suggestion for some kind of repository list here. In my 2+ years back in the collecting world, I've picked up quite a bit of knowledge about which so-called "slag" cans are hard to find and in demand. For instance, there are a few cans from the ABC book that I have yet to track down. Also, some of the newer craft cans are very tough to acquire.

[oldmoneytexan]

Agree with Mike. Shows I've attended, I've seen nothing but Garden State cans. I check them over because I'd like to land a pair of the August Wagner versions. Never seen any of those. And for sure, I never saw a Gold Brau version.

The book does give some value to the Gold Brau versions. But what you call the slag Garden State cans are only a couple dollars off from the Wagner ones and yet I never found any.

(MI-Cans)

Click to enlarge.

I have a nice set of Wagner ABC's for sale. Tab intact, so the price will be high. :)

[Dixie Dave]

I like Dave's suggestion for some kind of repository list here. In my 2+ years back in the collecting world, I've picked up quite a bit of knowledge about which so-called "slag" cans are hard to find and in demand. For instance, there are a few cans from the ABC book that I have yet to track down. Also, some of the newer craft cans are very tough to acquire.

Glad to see someone likes my idea! We all have little weird variations that we're looking for that would be easily overlooked by someone who doesn't know cans from outside their area of collecting as well. I honestly know little of the many variants that exist for cans outside my area besides what I learn at shows or read here.

Craft cans are their own little unique bit of toughness, but that's a subject best left to another thread.

I do love these threads talking about little variations in cans. Gives me a good reason to pull those cans from the shelf to see which one I have. I've actually got a couple of tougher variants and didn't even know it.

[BostonBob]

I learn something new everyday!!! Amazing how some of these variations are worth $$$.

[oldmoneytexan]

I find it amusing so many of you act shocked that "minor variations" (in this case a rare brewery) on tabs are "worth big bucks", yet gladly pay big bucks for a rusty cone that has "3.1%" in tiny font on the seam as opposed to "3.2%" in tiny font on the seam. You guys crack me up.

[Senator Seebs]

I find it amusing so many of you act shocked that "minor variations" (in this case a rare brewery) on tabs are "worth big bucks", yet gladly pay big bucks for a rusty cone that has "3.1%" in tiny font on the seam as opposed to "3.2%" in tiny font on the seam. You guys crack me up.

I think they, and I mean me, is shocked that I have culled many ABC cans for recycling without knowing what to look for. Now I do.

[OhioCanGuy]

I think they, and I mean me, is shocked that I have culled many ABC cans for recycling without knowing what to look for. Now I do.
[/quote]

I can identify 110% with this statement.

Just when I think you know a thing or two, I find out I don't! LOL!

[ConeAddict]

I find it amusing so many of you act shocked that "minor variations" (in this case a rare brewery) on tabs are "worth big bucks", yet gladly pay big bucks for a rusty cone that has "3.1%" in tiny font on the seam as opposed to "3.2%" in tiny font on the seam. You guys crack me up.

I haven't really noticed that much demand for rare minor variations in cones, I read here that the IRTP Fort Pitt cone is very tough to find but the clean one I had cost me $80 and it sold for even less. There was another rare IRTP in the "gentleman's agreement" thread that didn't go for that much more then the common one. It seems to me tab collectors are more in tune to these variations, especially like you say the cans from different cities and breweries . It is one of the interesting things that surprised me since getting back in to collecting, scarcity doesn't always have the affect on value I would have expected.

[henry porter]

I find it amusing so many of you act shocked that "minor variations" (in this case a rare brewery) on tabs are "worth big bucks", yet gladly pay big bucks for a rusty cone that has "3.1%" in tiny font on the seam as opposed to "3.2%" in tiny font on the seam. You guys crack me up.

This, a thousand times this.