1955. Single-sided tin (SST). Authenticated by The Authentication Company (TAC #501554). All items are guaranteed authentic by Miller & Miller Auctions. All purchases are eligible for free delivery to the Check the Oil Show on June 26, 2026. 32.5" x 3" x 1.25".

Size
32.5" x 3" x 1.25".

Condition
Grade: 9. Excellent colour and gloss. Minor paint nicks to margins and both ends. Pinpoint paint nicks to field.

Literature
Hires Root Beer is widely regarded as the first commercially marketed root beer in the United States. It was developed in 1876 by Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires, who encountered a traditional herbal root beverage during his honeymoon and sought to commercialize it. Originally sold as a powdered extract that consumers could mix with water, sugar, and yeast, Hires Root Beer debuted publicly at the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia. By the 1890s, the company transitioned to ready-to-drink bottled root beer, capitalizing on advances in carbonation and bottling technology. Hires incorporated as The Charles E. Hires Company and expanded nationally through aggressive advertising that positioned root beer as a wholesome, temperance-friendly alternative to alcoholic beverages. The brand played a foundational role in establishing root beer as a distinctly American soft drink category. Over the twentieth century, Hires underwent several ownership changes, including acquisition by Consolidated Foods (later Sara Lee) and eventually integration into the portfolio that became part of Keurig Dr Pepper. Although less dominant today than in its early decades, Hires remains historically significant as a pioneer of branded soft drinks in North America.