Posted 5 years ago
jackbrust
(1 item)
Just found this. Can't figure out how old it is? Its painted metal. But where it says multipurpose it's a sticker. Standard bought American Oil Company in 1910ish and the name changed to Amoco in 1985.
American Oil Company can/drum | ||
| Unsolved mystery items15311 of 96438 |  |  |
Hey jackbrust.
Look at the bottom of your drum. There should be a series of letters and numbers embossed there. In the US, the Interstate Commerce Commission required an ICC code (e.g. ICC-5B or ICC-17X) as well as a trinomial code for Gauge-Volume Capacity-Year (e.g. 18-55-42) on all metal drums containing hazardous materials like petroleum products. So if, for example, your drum base mark reads “24-15-59” then that means you have a 24 gauge steel, 15 gallon capacity drum manufactured in 1959. An ICC-5 or 17E number just means its rated for petroleum products. The DOT (US Department of Transportation) took over the regulation of drum manufacturing in 1969, so you may see DOT-5 or DOT-17E instead of ICC if you drum was made after 1969. The ICC/DOT also required a drum manufacturer name (e.g. Rheem, Myers), or initials (e.g. W&B, PMC Co.), or logo (e.g., USS, Boyco), so you may see that above the trinomial code too. This will at least tell you when the drum was made by a drum manufacturer for the American Oil Company. The oil company likely filled the drum and sent it to market within a year or two of when it was manufactured.
Since the 1990s, all US drums switched to an International shipping container code mark that is much more complex and harder to read (of course), but your drum looks to be at least 50 years old. Look for those base numbers, and thanks for sharing.