Can No 31

Indeed, not a beverage can, and not a pull tab either. This ‘Can 31’ in our database is a typical example of how all cans used to be up until the 1960s: made out of tin-plated steel and with no way of easy opening. This sardine can dates from the 1940s (we think) and was probably brought to the Netherlands by Allied troops in World War Two. It was opened by knife, or a crude opener, not much different from how all cans were opened until the invention of the pull tab in 1962.