A surge in beer can and memorabilia collecting first took place in the United States in the 1970s, with the industry capitalizing on its popularity by creating specialty cans like Billy Beer, J.R. Beer and M*A*S*H* Beer to market to collectors. With a growth in the popularity of micro-breweries, there was a resurgence in the hobby in the 1990s and interest in collecting was again rekindled across the nation.