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Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:40 pm
by dtsoc
Update: after a few more rounds of emails, I may be acquiring it! More details to come...
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B778B7CD347B41F5833BC30A4F534412.jpg (2.82 KiB) Viewed 3122 times

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:11 pm
by dtsoc
Here is a little better look at the Packer's can

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:33 pm
by willssoda
Wow. The gems that lay hidden and awaiting to be found. Cool can

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:51 pm
by dtsoc
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Finally picked up the Packer's imitation grape! Paired with my low cal cola, I believe these are the only two known Packer's cans. Is anyone aware of any others? Packer's supermarkets were purchased by Bohack in the mid 1960's. These cans show lids consistent with the early 60's.

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:54 am
by Canadacan
:smt023 Excellent! :smt023

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:10 pm
by dtsoc
Got this back from Art the other day! Awesome work to stretch it, removing the can opener marks!
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Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:55 pm
by Canadacan
Wow...nice job he does on cans ehh!

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:18 pm
by canscards
great job!!! Correct me if I am wrong but I think "stretching" cans means the following. Art takes the top and bottom lids off and ( in this case where he wants to "get rid of" the gear marks) he actually cuts a tiny bit off the top of the can. He then puts a new lid on( correct lid from whatever era the can is from). Then he puts the bottom back on but he does it in a way that makes the can the correct size. So he uses a little bit of the "extra" bottom part of the can and puts the bottom on showing a little more of the bottom of the can ( that was covered before taking the bottom off).

So- the can ends up the right size, the can has a better lid showing no gear marks and looks real nice. Yes Art does exceptional work!! The bottom part of the can near the lid will show any wear that was buried before ( if there is any). Without comparing the before and after pictures it would be really really hard to detect a "stretched can" because the offset in the design is ever so slight. If you look at the before and after pictures you can see there is a little "shaved" off the top of the design and there is some minor wear near the bottom that was covered up before.

Great job all the way around.

For discussion/debate- is this an "original" can"? When selling or trading how does one know if the can is stretched or not? Does it matter? what does a stretched can do for value? When selling or trading should one tell a potential buyer/trader the can has been stretched as it may effect how much someone is willing to pay?? It also may "fool" a potential buyer especially if they only collect "original" cans???
With a pre zip soda can collection nearing 1700 cans I wander how many "stretched" cans I have in my collection. I know that no one I have ever bought any of my cans from have ever told me it was stretched prior to buying or trading. Does it matter in the long run???? Not sure.
Marc Austin

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:26 pm
by dtsoc
You raise some good questions and accurately described the process. I think it comes down to individual preference, but I personally think that an all original can with the correct advertising lid would still be the 'most' valuable. The soda side also has a lot less choice when looking at rare cans. Many are only available rolled, and I would rather not see teeth marks on a super rare can like this one. Because the process isn't a cheap one, I don't think there are that many cans out there that are stretched. It's beats the old process of cutting the can down an 1/8... That drove me nuts, when I bought a can that was short! I think everyone should learn what to look for to identify replaced lids or to identify a stretched can. It's not always easy to identify replaced lids or stretches, same with dent removal. The choice on value and desirability is then yours to make.

Before all the hype about soda cans, there was a really high end collection in the midwest that had almost every lid replaced on it. I have some old Polaroids around somewhere. The guy liked shiny lids and sent almost every can he got to Chuck Foster to be re-lidded. That collection had some really rare cans in it and was sold and split up many years ago. I never liked the notion of replacing clean lids like that, but I also accept replaced lids to a large extent, unless they are not remotely correct.

Maybe we'll see a can grading service spring up sometime in the future that has the resources to definitively identify work done, etc...

Re: Packer's Imitation Grape Soda

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 3:32 pm
by Sea Monkey
I think the disclaimer if sold of a "new lid' would be enough. The person would know the can was altered and I would chalk the stretch up in the same boat with the re lid. Kind of part of the possible process so to speak.