12 of the most unusual beer cans from the world's largest collection

The most interesting cans in Jeff Lebo's collection

With over 96,000 cans in his collection, Jeff Lebo has the largest beer can collection in the world.

The majority of these line the walls of a home he had built specifically to house his collection -- and even then, it is packed to the rafters with all kinds of variants and limited runs of beer can designs from across the globe.

We perused his collection to find some of the most unusual or eye-catching designs. Here are our highlights!

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

The Ladies of Tennent's Lager

Tennent's, a Scottish beer company, wasn't shy about their advertising approach: can after can featured one of dozens of women in glamour shots, making quite a lot of variations to track down for collectors like Lebo.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Christy of Tennent's Brewery

Among the many Tennent's cans in Lebo's collection were several featuring one woman in particular.

"I believe [Christy] was actually the personal secretary of the president of Tennent's Brewery," Lebo said. "I don't know that this was actually marketed. I think it was just a test can. I don't think it was actually put out in the stores."

Considering that they weren't available for sale, it stands to reason that unique cans like these would fall into the hands of a collector like Lebo.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Robert Burns' beer can

If pin-up girls on your beer can seems a bit lowbrow, how about heading in a more sophisticated literary direction? Scotland's famous poet Robert Burns adorns these cans of Scottish ale.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Gallon cans

Care to buy your beer by the gallon? It sounds like a good idea, but it turns out that it went over like a lead balloon when American companies gave it a shot in the 1960s.

"They didn't have very much luck marketing them, and they proved to be pretty unpopular at that time," Lebo said. "So they discontinued them pretty quickly. They didn't manufacture many of them to begin with, and even fewer survive."

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Lion Lager's animal safari

Lion Brewery of South African featured several varied African creatures on their cans -- something that has led Lebo to collect a veritable menagerie of "zebras, rhinos, giraffes, kudus" and other indigenous African fauna.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Lion's musician lineup

"The same company put out a line of musicians," Lebo said. "A lot of blues, jazz and rock performers."

The list of features musicians include Bob Marley, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, to name a few.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Tiny beer cans

Going to the other extreme: what about just a tiny sip of beer, enough perhaps for a shot glass' worth of lager or ale?

"These were just promotional items released by the breweries," said Lebo. They were just full of water."

Ah well. They're still nice collector's items.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Duff Beer

Made famous by Homer Simpson, the beer-swilling patriarch of "The Simpsons," Duff Beer was obviously inspired by the Fox animated series. There was only one problem with this Australian brewing company's idea:

"I don't know that they got permission," Lebo said. "And I think it was taken off the market pretty quickly."

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Hello Kitty beer

Speaking of animated characters being used to advertise beer: here's the famous Hello Kitty adorning several bottles of this Japanese beer. While cartoon characters aren't exclusively for children, this is the sort of thing we definitely don't see here in the United States.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Penguin Beer

The Suntory brand of Japan also uses a cartoon mascot, particularly on these unusually small bottles that were found in vending machines.

"You could go out on the street and there'd be a beer machine there," Lebo said. "You could grab a little shot before you go to work, or on your lunch hour. You don't want tp be wasted going to work -- it's just if you need a little pick-me-up."

Again: not something that would go over well here in the United States.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

The American Gothic "Canvention" Can

This limited-edition run of cans was created specifically for attendees of Canvention 14, the Beer Can Collectors of America convention held in Grand Rapids, Iowa.

After the attendees were given their cans, Lebo said, the remaining extra cans were destroyed by the convention staff, ensuring their value among collectors.

Sean Simmers

"Cabottles"

The cabottle is a can-bottle hybrid: basically, a can made in a bottle-shape, which Lebo said originated "some time in the 1980s."

"It's made out of very heavy-gauge aluminum," he said. "It kind of did come across as a novelty. But one of the pragmatic reasons is when they sell beer in baseball stadiums, for instance. They want to get away from glass. A lot of people like drinking out of the bottle, so they kind of split the difference. And then they don't have all the safety issues from broken glass."These particular cabottles were products of the Schwaebisch-Gmund beer company in Germany.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Mini-kegs

These mini-kegs are still made in Germany, and can either be tapped upside-down, or standing with the aid of a carbon dioxide cartridge.

"There are some US brewers that are doing their pruduct in these," Lebo said. "And they will actually order them from the plant [in Germany], near Stuttgart."

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

The very first can of beer

While the idea of beer in cans is ubiquitous now, it was a big risk in 1935 -- a risk first taken by Krueger Beer Company in Newark, New Jersey.

"This was the first company to actually market the product in beer cans," Lebo said. "And they didn't want to risk their brand in their home market, so they actually tested their product in Richmond, Virginia."

It didn't take long for the idea to catch on. While canning machinery was expensive -- leading many breweries to use the "cone top" variety of cans for a time, which could be sealed with bottle caps -- it had obvious advantages in weight compared to bottles, as well as protecting the beer from light exposure.

Sean Simmers | [email protected]

Want a closer look?

Check out our full gallery from our visit to Lebo's collection here:

And check out our previous interview with Lebo from 2013: