I am that son.When my parents called me a few years after I got out of college and said "get these things out of here or they get recycled!" I had to sort through my childhood treasures-quickly.Being from Minnesota,the Schmidt scenic cans were one of my first sets I put together.Ah-the memories of picking up cans in the ditches on my bike and sorting the aluminum out when I got home.Waitaminit-nostalgia got the best of me there.You want to know what to do with YOUR collection,and how to cash in that tin lottery ticket.

Stay on topic.Okay...your cans.

If they were collected during the "heyday" of beer cans,between 1974-1984 or so,most of them have little value.This was a time when breweries realized that putting out a can celebrating Fresh Water Days or Marigold Days meant selling a lot of beer because of the unique can it was put in.Collectors were more interested in NUMBERS rather than the quality or rarity of their cans,and would put anything on the shelf because it was
different and built their shelves up.But the breweries were their own worst enemy,and overproduction slowly killed the hobby-no one could keep up.

But some of them are aluminum,right? Cash those in.There are a few that are worth a buck (some Hamms come to mind) but for the most part,get rid of them.You'll eat up your time and listing fees putting these on ebay.

SOME ring type pull tabs have value.A few brands that come to mind are 007,Playmate and variations called "zip tabs" These were made before they really perfected the ring type tab (y'know-the ones that cut your feet on the beach?) They have an unusual opening in the lid,kind of "tornado" shaped,I'd say.

The cans that still hold their value are "punch tops" and "cone" (or spout) tops.As a kid,it was always my dream to have a few of these on your shelf. They were the cans that took an OPENER to drink from.You older folks may remember it being called a "churchkey" Most kids had a few rusty examples,me included.
But don't let rust deter you.If they are truly rare cans,they will still have demand and value.

Its fairly easy to take a look at the TOPS in your collection to determine whether or not you have any of these.If they are in nice shape,you may have something worth listing or keeping.I've bought many collections simply for the few cans I need over the years.(This keeps the seller from being "cherry picked" and left with the junk to deal with)The few cans I had that were worth anything I got from my priest.He'd found 3 cone tops while remodeling his basement,and they were in mint condition.

I've been collecting (or RE-collecting) for 20 some years now.9 out of 10 collections are the typical "heyday"
cans,but that handful can make the difference.I'm simply preserving the breweriana and knowledge for the next generation...one can at a time!