How to Date Old Milk Cans

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: July 8, 2024 References

If you’re an avid collector or a vintage enthusiast, you’ve probably stumbled across a few milk cans in your life. Usually made from tin, these cans range in size, and have a variety of different labels. While there’s no exact art to dating an old milk can, you can estimate its age by looking for the printed brand, ingredients, and copyright information on the can. If your specimen is older, try examining its materials to see which historical era it hails from. With a little time and diligence, you’ll be able to better organize your antique collection.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Checking for Listed Information

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1
Take pictures of your can labels so you can digitally enhance them. Use your phone or a more professional camera to photograph your milk can from different angles. Focus on the label—if the letters or words are degraded at all, you might be able to see them more clearly using photo editing software. Aim to take pictures of the milk can at all angles so you capture all the details of the item. ^{[1]
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- If you have difficulty identifying the can later on, bring these pictures to an antique professional, or upload them to a well-informed message board on an antique collecting website.
Did you know? If your container is especially large, it might be a milk drum. Milk drums are larger, and hold up to 25 gallons (95 L) of milk. They were used from the 19th century up until the 1920s.

If your milk can is smaller (around 5 gallons (19 L)), then your milk can is likely from the 20th century. ^{[2]
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2
Examine the the can for a visible company label. Look at the front and back of the milk can and look for any obvious letters printed or embossed on the surface. Take note of any brand names so you can search for them on the web later. ^{[3]
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- Some milk companies are more well-known than others, and come from different eras of history. For instance, if your milk can belongs to the Union Dairy Company, you can date the can somewhere between the early 1900s and 1980s. ^{[4]
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- Some milk can labels will come with a visible mascot or logo. Keep this in mind when you look up your label online.
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3
Identify cans made before 1950 by a 2- or 4- digit number on the label. Check to see if a 2- or 4-digit number is listed somewhere on the can. If the phone number is this short, you can safely assume that your milk can was made before 1950. If the phone number has 5 to 7 digits, you can determine that the can was made in the 1950s or 1960s.
- In many cases, these phone numbers will appear hyphenated on the label.
- Older phone numbers didn’t use area codes, which is why these company numbers are so short.
4
Look around the can for visible copyright years. Search all over the can to see if any packaging or shipping year is listed. While old cans won’t be very specific, you might be able to find a visible label. Take note of this year in case you want to look up more info about your milk can label online.
- Not all labels are incredibly exact. Even if the label indicates that the can was made during a certain year, there’s a chance that the company could’ve manufactured the can in an earlier year.
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Attribute certain phrases on the label to the early 20th century. Use food labeling requirements to your advantage as you inspect the can. If your label uses the word “cure” in the label, you can date it back to 1906 or earlier. If you see terms like “hermetically sealed” and “packed in sanitary cans,” date the can somewhere before the 1920s. Additionally, note that any label or can with “patent pending” written on it was made in the year 1940 or later.
- Over the years, labeling requirements became more specific. For instance, after 1920, manufacturers had to include “salt added” and “sugar added” on their labels whenever necessary.
- Manufacturers have used the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval since 1910.
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Note that the circled “C” trademark is older than the circled “R.” Look around your can to see if you can spot an “R” or “C” enclosed in a circle. Date your can as far back as 1914 if you see the circled “C,” as this was one of the earliest copyright labels. If you see a circled “R,” note that your can was made in 1949 or later.
- British milk cans used the “Reg.,” “Rd,” or “Registered” label to indicate copyright around 1884.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Examining the Materials

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1
Find cans made in the 1930s and 40s by checking for thick metal construction. Look on the outside and inside of the can to get a feel for its construction. If the metal feels thick and bulky, you can estimate that the tin was made in the 1930s or 1940s. If the can feels sleeker and less clunky, you can assume that the can was made in the 1950s or later.
- The same logic applies to ink and paint used on milk can labels. If the detail work was applied in thick layers, the milk can was probably made in the 1930s or 40s.
2
Identify 19th-century cans by their thick paper labels. Gently rub your fingers along the paper label of your milk can, if it’s still intact. If the paper feels thick and bulky, you can date the can back to the 19th century, or sometime before 1900. If the paper feels thinner and sleeker, you can assume that the can was made sometime in the 20th century.
- This isn’t the most exact way to date a milk can. If the label is in good condition, try using the brand and copyright info to more accurately date your can.
- If the label feels embossed in any way, the can was likely made sometime after 1890.
3
Remember that 19th-century cans used 3 pieces of soldered metal. Feel along the edges to detect any obvious solder lines. If the milk can is made of 3 metal pieces that were melded together, you can date it back to the 19th century. If your milk can is smooth with no melding marks, you can date it back to the early 20th century or later. ^{[5]
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- Since grooves and solder marks made the milk transportation less sanitary, the milk transport companies updated the milk can model.
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Compare 19th-century milk cans to old milk churns. Examine the size and structure of the can, and note if the can is thick around the bottom and tapers off toward the top. Take a close look at the can’s size, and try to guess how much milk it can hold. If your guess is around 60 US quarts (57 L) or more, then you might have a railway milk churn, which was first made around 1867. ^{[6]
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- These cans are named for their resemblance to old-time milk churns.
- Since these cans are so bulky and large, you might find them difficult to carry.
Examine the cap and look for a tiny pinprick hole peeking through the cap of the can. If this hole is visible, you can date your can somewhere between 1820 and the 1940s. If this pinprick isn’t visible, you can safely assume that the can was made sometime in the mid-20th century or later.

Did you know? These pinprick holes helped to vent out any steam when the milk was being prepared. As technology improved, these holes were no longer used, so the cans could be more sanitary.