ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Hundreds of beer can collectors are heading to New Mexico for a "CANvention." The Brewery Collectibles Club of America started celebrating different types of beer cans Thursday at its three-day national gathering at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The event attracts collectors from around the world who trade, buy and sell vintage and craft beer cans. It is a chance for those attending to sample beer from local Albuquerque brewers. The gathering began in 1969 after collector Denver Wright Jr. put an ad in a St. Louis newspaper asking anyone who collected beer cans to contact him. Six collectors responded and they held an event in Denver months later.