O/P/Q | Can Museum

O/P/Q Jan 29, 2012 15:05:57 GMT -5

Post by allcans on Jan 29, 2012 15:05:57 GMT -5

OD cans - abbreviation for olive drab can.
Off grade - a can that is in less than grade 1 condition.
OI - abbreviation for opening instruction
OI panel - See opening instruction panel
Opening instructions - Instructions on the can how to open the can.
Opening instruction panel - The part of the can label that showed the opening instructions. The larger this panel the older the can.
Olive drab cans - A can produced in olive green for the U.S. military from 1944-45. It used to be thought that the cans were colored olive green as camouflage, but it is now generally believed that they were painted green simply because the US Army had almost everything it purchased painted that color. Most camouflage cans are rare and are highly desirable to collectors. Many were shipped to troops overseas and so can not be found in the US easily. Also know as camouflage can.
Outdoor cans - cans found outside. These cans are usually not in the best condition.

Paintover - May mean several things. 1.) A can repainted to undo damage such as rust or fade. Popular in the 1970s among many collectors, it is very unpopular now and collectors who get a painted over can will often remove the paint to restore it to its rusty/faded condition.
2.) A can with one label painted over another by the can company. This presumably occurred when a can company took part of an unsold old order and repainted a new label on it to sell to another customer. With rubbing compound and some patience sometimes the old label can be uncovered.
3.) Toleware, popular in the 1950s, home art projects included making a sprinkling can for ironing from a conetop beer can. The can would be covered with heavy black paint with Amish-like designs painted over it. As with other paintovers, the overcoat can often be stripped away to reveal the original can.
Paper label - A can with a label made of paper (or foil) instead of having the label painted on the metal. WARNING: numerous paper label cans have been sold on eBay in past years. Often they are advertised as "reproductions" or some such. Be aware, most collectors consider them to be fakes and they have no real value as "collectable's."
Pint - A USA can of 16 fluid ounces
Pit-Dumping - o look for cans buried in trash pits. This is popular in the Pacific Northwest where the soil conditions are favorable for easily digging a deep pit. Pit dumping requires the use of a good metal detector and has provided a lot of previously rare cans for can collectors over the past few years. Pits have been found elsewhere in the US, but they do not seem to be as common elsewhere as in the Pacific NW.
Pop-top - Another name for pull tab.
Pre-Prohibition - Any brewery item made before national prohibition started in January 1920. There are no pre-pro cans because the first beer can was sold in early 1935.
Pre war cans - Cans made before world war II
Pre-zip cans - Usually used for soda cans from the United States that do not contain a zip code.
Private Label can - Can produced for an individual or company to promote an anniversary, business or something else. These cans are made by private label companies and usually have a plastic label sticked to the can. Most private label cans are energy drinks.
Pull tab - (Also known as ring pull). a can with a tab on the top allowing the consumer to open the can without using a churchkey or other separate device. The consumer pulled on a ring or tab which pulled a piece of the lid away leaving an opening. Pull tops, or pop tops, became targets of anti-littering efforts in the 1970s and 1980s. The pull tab lid was invented in Dayton, Ohio in 1962. Pull tabs went though numerous improvements from 1962 until they were replaced by statabs in the late 1970s.
Push Button Top - an attempt to replace the pull tab, which separated a piece of the top of the can when pulled, with round, hinged piece the consumer pushed into the can to open. Used most commonly in the 1970s. Coors beer used them first but ran into a lot of complaints from customers that it was hard to press open the little button holes. They are NOT more valuable than cans with normal pull tabs.

Quart - A US can of 32 fluid ounces