Flat Tops Were Introduced In 1935
Flat Top beer cans were introduced in the marketplace in 1935, a few years after the end of prohibition. All beer sold prior to the advent of the beer can was sold in bottles and kegs.
Beer cans had a very slow start in the early years. People were skeptical about canned beer. Many peopled said, "The beer doesn't taste as good as bottled beer". Also, small brewers couldn't afford to change over their bottling lines to can filling lines.
Can companies designed the Flat Top can similar to canned food containers. The wide open top allowed the cans to be filled quickly, unlike bottles which fill slower due to the small opening.
Flat Top cans were opened by punching the lid with a church key opener. Early Flat Tops included instructions on how to open the cans.
Flat Tops were in production from 1935 to 1960. Many early Flat Top cans are quite rare for two main reasons.