Beer can collector cashes in 28,000 cans
(KXAN) – Stacked on shelves in a shed that used to house llamas, Patrick Costigan turned his old barn into a museum of beer cans of all shapes, ages and sizes.
“I just like the way they look, the different labels and everything,” said Costigan as he showed KXAN News his collection. “The old ones are the cone tops, that’s how they first started making them.”
Sunday marked National Beer Can Appreciation Day, which celebrates when the first canned beer went on sale in 1935.
Costigan has beer cans that date to the ’30s and beyond. It’s his love of Craigslist and finding deals through the site is how the 57-year-old stumbled upon a jackpot.
Five years ago, Costigan bought 28,000 beer cans from a collector in Oklahoma. He won’t say how much he paid for it, but thousands of cans sit organized and cataloged in boxes in a separate shed.
“I couldn’t believe it, First of all, he had to go buy a trailer, to get the cans,” explained Lisa Costigan, Patrick’s wife.
She said they’ve had fun over the years and have turned their barn into an event space for family and friend gathers. The beer cans are joined by beer memorabilia, beer signs and classic cars.
Costigan takes the remaining cans and makes customized shelves that he sells, on Craiglslist of course.