Bottled Beer Was King
Bottled beer was king when canned beer was introduced in 1935. Many smaller breweries tested short runs of cans on their bottling lines, to see how their loyal customers would react to canned beer. Today these cans are quite rare.
Empty Cans Were Thrown Away
Adding to their rarity is the fact that Cone Top and Flat Top cans were thrown away. This was a big selling point for the canning companies, life was easier if there were no bottles to return.
The can companies printed, " When empty, throw away. No empties to return. No deposits." on the cans.
The cans from World War II are some of the rarest cans ever produced, because they were discarded overseas.