The value of a can generally depends on its age, on the quantity of the specimen ever produced, on the country it comes from, and on its general appearance (sets and pictorial cans are usually most appreciated). A good preservation is also important (see grading).
Nevertheless, cans do not have an official value like stamps, or jewels, or other valuable collectables. There are some guides or catalogues which have attempted to estimate the most interesting specimens, but of course they can only suggest the value: an old foreign can, for instance, might be worth a good price, but it also might be worth less than half that price in the country where it comes from, because much more easier to obtain.
So, there is no absolute value a can may be given. Experience is surely the best guide, and a new collector should better ask a more experienced mate for advice, especially before buying.
When selling or buying a whole lot or a collection, the price cannot be calculated as the sum of every single can's value, except for rare or important specimens; a bulk price is usually given to all standard items of the lot; the total might then be further rounded up.
The absence of a guide line often leads to speculation, which especially younger collectors should keep away from.
Since a can has no official value (i.e. a rare can cannot be considered a form of "investment" like a painting by a famous artist), in general terms we could say that it is worth as much as another collector is willing to pay to take it home. Which means that if I am selling a rare can, I might ask a very high price for it, and eventually succeed in selling the can, but I might as well happen not to find a collector interested in it, and in this case the same can would be worth as scrap metal.
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