Old oil can

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Apr 27, 2014
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876
Location
SD - South Dakota
Does anyone have an educated guess how old this oil can might be?

I’m not asking about oil cans in general, but this specific can/design.

My guess is the late 70’s but I can’t find any other examples or advertising that matches the cans design.

Anyone have any educated guesses?

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Chevron Canada oil cans were almost identical in 1978-1980. Didn't have experience with Mobil at that time when I was a fossil fuel passenger vehicle refueling technician at age 16-ish
WOW, I had that same position at Texaco. Seriously, though here is top of an image.
 

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Is there a stamping in the top that looks like it says something like
"10W
20W-30" in the center
and something about "Most Severe" service class stamped in a circle towards the outer part.
The logo says it has to be after 1964, I can't remember if API SD (1967-1971) or SE(1971-1979) was the first S rating that was used.
 
Is there a stamping in the top that looks like it says something like
"10W
20W-30" in the center
and something about "Most Severe" service class stamped in a circle towards the outer part.
The logo says it has to be after 1964, I can't remember if API SD (1967-1971) or SE(1971-1979) was the first S rating that was used.
I will look tomorrow morning and post up a picture of the top and bottom. But it is plain as near as I remember.

When did they start printing API ratings on them? I think it is In the window of: after going cardboard but before the API ratings were being printed.

Heres a link to one being sold that is exactly like mine


No printing on the top and no embossed text either.

Based on what you posted above I think this is in the 1971-1979 period.
 
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Based on my having worked for a Pennzoil distributor (we also sold most every other brand as well) in the 1974 - 1976 time period, when the switch from metal to paper cans began, I would say we started seeing the paper Mobil cans late in 1974 or early in 1975.

I also remember when Pennzoil changed their labeling on the motor oil cans from "Pure Pennsylvania Crude Oil" to "Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil" in the summer of 1974.
 
Based on my having worked for a Pennzoil distributor (we also sold most every other brand as well) in the 1974 - 1976 time period, when the switch from metal to paper cans began, I would say we started seeing the paper Mobil cans late in 1974 or early in 1975.
Mobil appears to have used carboard cans all the way back in the 60s, this can on eBay appears to be from the 60s, based on the 1955-1964 Mobil logo and that it says that it "Surpasses car builders' most severe(MS) service tests"
 
You could be right. I was just relying on old memories.

I just remember that whenever we saw single cans (usually after running a forklift through the bottom layer of a pallet of oil cases or just flat out dropping a case while moving pallets around) they were typically metal cans. Those of us in the warehouse were surprised to see the changeover from metal to paper cans. I also remember that Texaco was one of the later brands to switch over to paper.

Thanks for the chance to exercise my brain by walking down memory lane!
 
Is there a stamping in the top that looks like it says something like
"10W
20W-30" in the center
and something about "Most Severe" service class stamped in a circle towards the outer part.
The logo says it has to be after 1964, I can't remember if API SD (1967-1971) or SE(1971-1979) was the first S rating that was used.
So I looked at it this morning (it’s on my desk at work) and there is some embossed print on the top. It looks to be:
SAE 10w
20w-30
For services SE-CC-MS

Which should make it 1971-1979 vintage. Which is exactly what I thought it was and was hoping for when I bought it.

This is a gift for my friend. He has a 1978 corvette and this would have been the recommended oil for that car when new and would have been what was on the shelf at the time when it was new in 1978.

Super happy that I stumbled into it. And it was only $5 to boot!

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