Antique Milk Cans For Sale Near Me (2024)

FAQs

Are old milk cans worth anything? ›

Value of Antique Milk Cans

Value depends on what collectors are looking for, but most cans range from about $20 to well over $200. Condition is a big factor in value, with cans in great shape with clear labels and minimal damage fetching the most.

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.

History. The usage of the word 'churn' was retained for describing these containers, although they were not themselves used for 'churning' butter. The milk churn was also known as the milk kit in the Yorkshire Dales. The 12-gallon steel churns were later replaced with 10-gallon aluminium alloy churns.

Ten gallons of milk inside the milk can, at 8 pounds per gallon, puts it at 80 pounds. The can itself weighs about 8 pounds. To answer the question, those full 10-gallon milk cans weigh about 88 pounds. It's little wonder those old-time farmers had back problems!

Older said the cans that are the most valuable are the ones you couldn't crush easily. "The older cans are the better cans so what you're looking for is the older steel type of can, so they're not aluminum. Some aluminum cans have some value but very, very few of them do," said Older.

Mold lines or "seams" can indicate the piece is older and more valuable. Look on the base for a maker's mark or patent number that might identify a valuable original piece. Compare an unknown piece to pieces in collector's guides and manufacturer catalogs to help identify it.

(WETM) – Ever looked at the 5 or 4 digit code at the top of your milk jug and wondered what that code meant? The code you may find next to the expiration date of a typical jug or carton of milk actually represents the location of the processing plant the milk was made.

These were used up until the 1920s, though they were mostly phased out by 1910. Then farmers switched to smaller, five-gallon aluminum milk cans, transported by horse-drawn wagon.

Size and Features Differentiate Milk and Cream Can

Your can is a milk can rather than a cream can. It is much smaller. Although milk cans have been used since the 19th century, yours is definitely 20th century.

Here's a fun fact: Those seemingly random numbers near the top of your milk container are not arbitrary at all. Usually located just beside or beneath the sell-by date, they're a little-known code that tells you where the milk was bottled before it was delivered to your grocery store.

How big was an old fashioned milk can? ›

Ten-gallon milk cans were standard on farms for decades, until bulk tanks and pipeline milking machines came along. There was a milk plant or creamery within reach of most every farmer so he could take his 10-gallon milk cans there twice a day.

Before you buy or sell a milk bottle, it helps to know how much it's worth. These bottles can range from about $10 to $200 or more, depending on a number of factors. Assigning value to your bottle isn't an exact science, but it's important to get some sense of the price it should fetch. This process can help.

A gallon of milk weighs 8.6 lb, and a quart of milk weighs 2.15 lb.

repurpose vintage milk cans – more ideas

attach a smaller wood round and use it as a plant stand near your front door inside or out! mod podge vintage seed packets around the bottom of the jug and use as a work surface in your she shed.

Milk glass pieces can range in value from $15-$25 for a small milk glass bud vase to hundreds of dollars to a large punchbowl set with matching cups in a highly decorative pattern in excellent condition. I like to see décor featuring milk glass in an assembly grouped together on tables, curio cabinets, or open shelves.

Don't Crush Plastic

Crushing items may save space, but it makes it harder for optical sorting technology to properly sort plastic items. Help plastic recyclables get sorted correctly by leaving them in their original shape.